High Five
for the first five
Celebrating Big Moments
A Letter from the Lead Facilitators
Powering the Most Important Years: Birth to Five
Every child’s earliest years matter deeply. From birth to age five, brains are built, curiosity takes root, and the foundation for lifelong learning and well-being is formed. Gwinnett Building Babies’ Brains believes these years deserve focused care, shared responsibility, and sustained investment. This year’s progress shows what is possible when a community comes together around that belief.
This work exists because too many children in Gwinnett still arrive at kindergarten without the skills they need to thrive. In response, dedicated partners stepped forward to invest time, talent, and resources to change outcomes for our youngest learners. Through grants, community support, and in-kind partnerships, the initiative continues to grow with purpose and intention.
Our efforts are guided by three commitments. We build shared awareness of why early learning matters. We ensure families have access to trusted, high-quality resources and programs they value. And we align organizations across Gwinnett to support children and families together. While kindergarten readiness is a lagging indicator, especially for children born during the pandemic, early signs now reflect the power of sustained investment and aligned action.
This year, we expanded our reach across Gwinnett, serving more children, families, and educators than ever before. Nearly nine hundred fifty early educators participated in Impact Lab conferences, strengthening practice throughout the county. Family-centered experiences reinforced a simple truth. Learning happens everywhere, and caregivers are a child’s first and most important teachers.
Our Early Learning Ambassadors bring this mission to life by building trust, listening to families, and connecting them to meaningful resources. Brainy continues to bring joy and connection, reminding families that early learning can be engaging, accessible, and fun.
Looking ahead, we remain focused on scaling what works, strengthening partnerships, and building sustainable systems that allow this work to endure. Powering the most important years is a shared responsibility, and together we are helping ensure Gwinnett’s children are ready to thrive.
Kim Holland
GCPS Executive Director of Early Learning & School Readiness
Lead Facilitator for Gwinnett Building Babies’ Brains
Stacy Lord
GCPS Coordinator of Early Learning & School Readiness
Lead Facilitator for Gwinnett Building Babies’ Brains
Powering the Most Important Years
Gwinnett Building Babies’ Brains (GBBB) is a community initiative dedicated to ensuring every child in Gwinnett County enters kindergarten ready to thrive. Supported by grants and donations, GBBB equips parents, caregivers, and educators with the tools and knowledge to build strong early learning foundations.
Nearly half of Gwinnett children are not kindergarten-ready at school entry. GBBB works to change that, one family and one community at a time.
ready to thrive in kindergarten
Mission
Our mission is to ensure that all children in Gwinnett are ready to thrive in kindergarten.
Strategy
Our strategy is to ensure that all parents have access to the information and tools they need to be their child’s first and best teacher so that all our children have access to high-quality early learning at home or elsewhere.
Key Levers
Everything we do is anchored in three key levers that we believe will result in all children thriving in kindergarten.
KREP Data:
KREP is a lagging indicator, and the data matters. Right after the pandemic, 54% of children entering kindergarten were not ready; by 2025, that number dropped to 49% not ready. The children entering kindergarten this year were born in 2020, during one of the most disruptive periods for families and early learning. Gwinnett Building Babies’ Brains launched in 2020, and as pandemic funding became available, we saw a significant increase in expanding programs that worked including those led by GBBB: Impact Labs, early learning field trips and those within partner organizations; Play 2 Learn,
Pre-K, B2Anywhere, and strong library programs amongst many others. While the system was under strain, we dug in our heels and stayed focused. Five years in, the readiness data is beginning to catch up to the work, showing that sustained investment and aligned action are making a difference and signaling that the next five years are about deepening impact, scaling what works, and moving more Gwinnett children into kindergarten ready to thrive.
While the system was under strain, we dug in our heels and stayed focused. The progress we’re seeing today, a 5% increase in readiness, is the result of five years of sustained, community-wide effort.
KREP Scores over time:
High Five for Impact:
Celebrating Community, Partnerships, and Progress
This year defined remarkable growth for Gwinnett Building Babies’ Brains as we continued expanding community events and reached more children, families, and educators than ever before. Our commitment to early learning was recognized widely, including being honored as key early learning advocates at The GEEARS Annual Fundraising Luncheon and receiving a nomination for a Community Partner Award at The Aurora Phenomenon, their annual gala fundraising event. These acknowledgments reflect the strength of our collaborative spirit because at the heart of everything we do are the partnerships that make our work possible. It is the people from each organization and the broader Gwinnett community who help shape what this early learning initiative has become and fuel the meaningful impact we are able to make together.
Impact Labs:
The Cluster Impact Lab model equips early learning educators with the skills to deliver high-quality instruction, strengthen community partnerships, and ensure every available early learning seat is high-quality. Designed in a conference-style format, Impact Labs continue to create valuable opportunities for educators to network, collaborate, and engage with others who share a commitment to supporting early learners. Through targeted professional learning sessions, professional learning credit hours, compensation, and quality resources, Impact Labs have been elevating teaching practice and empowering educators to support Gwinnett’s youngest learners, helping them to thrive in kindergarten and beyond.
Impact Labs:
Investing in the Earliest Educators
Early Learning Centers continue to seek customized Impact Lab sessions for their teams. Hosted in smaller, site-based settings, these Impact Labs allow for more focused and responsive professional learning, providing targeted support to educators and creating meaningful benefits for children from birth through age five.
Field Trips:
Since launching, GBBB has hosted 12 early learning field trips across Gwinnett County, bringing families together for purposeful, play-based learning experiences.
This year, GBBB hosted 5 field trips at locations including Aurora Theatre, local parks, and food and nutrition events.
These field trips have provided early learners and their families with the opportunities to explore the arts at the Aurora Theatre, purposeful play at the park, and enjoy food as a source of nutrition and enjoyment. Parents and caretakers reported that they learned new ways to engage with their children while taking away information and materials that will help them support their child’s ability to learn and grow.
To Date:
12
1500+
7000+
This Year:
5
1000+
3000+
Play 2 Learn On The Go Bus:
Bringing Early Learning Directly to Families
Community Connections Made
Child find activities
Winter clothing & hygiene materials
G.R.E.A.T. Little Minds
The G.R.E.A.T. Little Minds program operates a network of community book boxes, providing free, consistent access to literacy resources for early learners across Gwinnett County.
This sustained effort continues to strengthen early literacy, promote a culture of reading, and support equitable access to books across the region.
Ambassadors
GBBB Ambassadors bring a wide range of skills, talents, and experiences that allow them to engage the early learning community in meaningful and impactful ways. Leveraging their connections across multiple sectors, GBBB Ambassadors draw in diverse stakeholders while also working directly with families to provide the free and accessible support that families need and want. As trusted community voices, our ambassadors build strong relationships, understand family needs, and connect parents and caregivers with resources that strengthen their role as their child’s first and best teacher.
The Power of Connection:
Paola Aramendiz
GBBB Ambassador
“I love being a GBBB ambassador. I’ve had my own journey in early learning with my son, and I know firsthand the importance of starting early. Being here, we can reinforce our commitment to helping and showing parents the way for their children to succeed in kindergarten.”
Daphnee Fortunate
GBBB Ambassador
“I see children differently than I did before — I care more deeply and listen more closely. Having moved to Gwinnett myself, I know how hard it can be to navigate a new community. Every opportunity I have to connect with a family and share helpful information is one I truly value.”
Meet Brainy:
A Joyful Ambassador for Early Learning
Brainy is one of our most recognizable and impactful ambassadors, serving as a joyful and trusted symbol of early learning within Gwinnett. By engaging directly with families, educators, and children, and even collaborating with other community mascots, Brainy helps raise awareness about the importance of early learning in a fun, approachable way.
As a familiar and friendly presence at events and outreach activities, Brainy creates meaningful connections, sparks curiosity, and brings joy, helping early learning messages resonate with families while strengthening GBBB’s visibility and reach across the community.
2025 Brainy Award Winner:
Beth Richard
GCPS Early Learning and School Readiness Specialist
Beth is a tireless champion of GBBB’s mission, bringing it to life in meaningful ways. Through her creativity and commitment, Beth finds innovative opportunities to unite the early learning community, ensuring experiences are free, accessible, and welcoming to all. Her passion for GBBB is evident in everything she does, and her ability to think big continues to inspire collaboration, growth, and lasting impact.
Early Learning at the Library:
Where Learning Grows Through Stories and Play
Early Learning at the Library is a powerful community partnership between GCPS Early Learning and School Readiness and local library branches, designed to expand access to high‑quality early childhood experiences for families across Gwinnett. These free events bring children and their caregivers together for rich, developmentally appropriate learning that includes interactive story time, music and movement, and hands‑on exploration in Art, STEM, early literacy, puzzles, and block play.
More than just an event, Early Learning at the Library strengthens the home–school–community connection. Parents and caregivers learn practical strategies for supporting learning at home, reinforcing their role as their child’s first and best teacher. By meeting families where they are and offering joyful, research‑based early learning opportunities, this partnership helps build a stronger foundation for school readiness and supports the GBBB mission that all children in Gwinnett will thrive in kindergarten.
By offering joyful, research-based early learning opportunities, this partnership helps build a stronger foundation for school readiness and supports GBBB’s mission that all children in Gwinnett will thrive in kindergarten.
Bedtime with Brainy:
Bringing Story Time Home
Through a partnership between Gwinnett County Public Schools (GCPS) and Gwinnett County Public Library’s (GCPL) Goodnight Gwinnett, in 2024, GBBB launched Bedtime with Brainy, a virtual monthly story time initiative designed to captivate our littlest learners with engaging books and enthusiastic readers. This virtual format allows parents and caregivers to enjoy high‑quality story experiences with their children right from the comfort of home.
Since its launch, this initiative has continued to grow in both reach and impact. What began as a partnership between two organizations has evolved into a powerful collaboration among three groups working collectively under the GBBB umbrella: Aurora Theatre, GCPL, and GCPS. Together, we have continued to deepen our connection with families through the Aurora Theatre’s Imaginations at Play early learning programming, and with professional actors from Aurora Theatre performing the read‑alouds, each story becomes a dynamic experience, enhancing engagement for children and enriching shared story time for families across Gwinnett’s early learning community.
Growing Together:
Expanding Impact Through Partnership
Gwinnett Building Babies’ Brains’ reach grows through the strength of its partners. Aurora Theatre continued to strengthen its reach from hosting a field trip and Little Learners Academy to now partnering to bring Bedtime with Brainy alive during their Imaginations at Play sessions. Additionally, they are now expanding their own programming to early learning resources, programming, and developmental support across Gwinnett.
Aurora Theatre
Aurora Theatre continues to bring creativity and connection to early learners through its Imaginations at Play and Storytime programs. Participation has grown significantly, with event attendance increasing from 5 participants at the first session to 27 at the most recent.
To date, Aurora has hosted 10 Storytime sessions, providing engaging, arts-based learning experiences that support early literacy and imagination.
Looking ahead, Aurora is actively pursuing grant opportunities and strategic partnerships to expand these programs into preschools, daycares, and community spaces, increasing access to high-quality early learning experiences for families across Gwinnett.
Unity Behavioral Services
Unity Behavioral Services continues to expand its impact across early learning communities, now serving families in both Georgia and Texas. Through its innovative developmental methodology, Unity has demonstrated a minimum of 100% improvement in developmental progress across all clients served, reinforcing the effectiveness of early intervention.
Unity strengthened its reach by partnering with dozens of early learning centers and ABA therapy providers, working collaboratively to improve childhood development rates for all children.
This growth is powered by a deeply committed team, reflected in an exceptional 0% involuntary turnover rate in 2025, a testament to the incredible people who are dedicated to our mission.
GBBB’s work is organized around three strategic action teams, each focused on a different lever for change, all working collectively toward the same goal: ensuring every child in Gwinnett is ready to thrive in kindergarten.
High Quality Programs:
Building Stronger Starts Together
Last year was a strong and rewarding year for our team. We successfully hosted five field trips that welcomed more than 3,500 attendees and 1,300 families, creating meaningful, engaging experiences for our community. These events allowed us to connect with families across the county, provide hands-on learning opportunities, and strengthen relationships with those we serve. The high level of participation and support, especially from our dedicated volunteers, made each event a success and gave us a lot to celebrate as we reflect on the year.
At the same time, our Impact Lab conferences continued to expand our reach with early learning educators, equipping them with high-quality strategies, resources, and opportunities to collaborate. In 2025 alone, we engaged nearly 350 educators across multiple cluster areas, supporting classroom practices that will positively impact more than 20,000 children.
Together, these efforts reflect a balanced approach to supporting both families and educators, strengthening the early learning ecosystem across Gwinnett.
High Quality Resources:
The High Quality Resources Action Team made significant progress in expanding access to early learning materials across Gwinnett. By developing a comprehensive map of early learning touchpoints, including libraries, G.R.E.A.T Little Minds boxes, Play 2 Learn locations, early childcare centers, and in-home providers, the team is now able to identify gaps and strategically target underserved areas. This data-driven approach is guiding new initiatives, including the launch of reading corners in Laundromats. The first location is set to open in Norcross. These spaces will provide literacy bags, activity books, and children’s books, supplied by Gwinnett Parks.
This year also saw strong engagement through our Early Learning at the Library events, with 1,863 attendees, 46 new library cards issued, and 307 new families connected to Play 2 Learn. In addition, more than 6,900 resources were distributed across educators through Impact Labs and other training opportunities, ensuring that both families and educators have the tools they need to support early learning across the county.
Awareness:
Building Awareness, Fueling Impact
The Awareness Action Team shifted its focus to building a sustainable funding foundation for Gwinnett Building Babies’ Brains. This action led to the creation of a four-pillar funding strategy, Individual Giving, Corporate Partnerships, Government Funding, and Grants & Foundations, designed to support long-term growth and impact. The team hosted GBBB’s first donor event, establishing a scalable engagement model for future events. Awareness efforts also reached new heights through 27,000+ website sessions and 18,000 users, 613,000+ social media views, and 21,300+ engagements. As we grow, new sponsorship opportunities across Impact Labs, Early Learning Field Trips, and vendor partnerships offer meaningful ways for the community to support this work, helping us expand access and ensure every child in Gwinnett is ready to thrive. If you’re interested in sponsoring a GBBB event or becoming a vendor, reach out!
What Comes Next:
Looking Forward to the Next Five Years
As we look ahead to the next five years, Gwinnett Building Babies’ Brains is focused on scaling its impact while staying rooted in what matters most, ensuring every child is ready to thrive by five. We envision a future where our work reaches more families in more ways, deepening engagement with children, parents, educators, and the broader community digitally and in person. This includes expanding our presence within Gwinnett, strengthening partnerships across sectors, and increasing access to high-quality early learning experiences through innovative, accessible platforms. At the same time, we are committed to building a stronger foundation through sustainable funding, strategic advocacy, and a growing network of volunteers and partners. Together, these efforts will allow us to extend our reach, amplify our impact, and continue shaping brighter futures for children and communities for years to come.
How to Support:
Join Us in Building Brighter Futures
Every child in Gwinnett deserves a strong start. There are three powerful ways you can be part of the work with your time, your talent, or your treasure.
Give Your Time
Show up for families and children in Gwinnett. Volunteers are the energy behind every event, every field trip, and every connection we make in the community.
Share Your Talent
Bring your skills and expertise to the table. Whether you’re an educator, a community connector, or a creative, there’s a meaningful role for you within the GBBB network.
Contribute Your Treasure
Your financial support fuels free early learning events, activities, and resources for Gwinnett’s early learning community. Sponsorships, donations, and in-kind gifts all make a direct and measurable difference.
Play2Learn: On The Go Bus:
Bringing Early Learning Directly to Families*
Play2Learn On the Go offers free weekly early learning classes on board the Play2Learn On the Go bus parked right in targeted Gwinnett neighborhoods. Communities are selected based on the intersection of many data points, including low in-school early learning enrollment, large gaps in kindergarten readiness, and a lack of walkable access to their local school building. This bus is meant to bring a high-quality early learning experience to learners who are unable to access an in-school Play2Learn class.
Each week, kids and caregivers join us in our fully-functioning mobile classroom for an hour-long early learning class. We follow a condensed pre-k schedule, giving kids their first school experience with circle time, learning songs, thoughtful stories, and lots of play time that’s focused specifically on our youngest learners. We give families the tools to engage with their little ones in building language, asking questions, expanding on play activities, and, most importantly, bringing these learning habits home with them.
In addition to providing home learning support and weekly giveaways, we are also in the unique position of connecting families with a variety of community resources. We partner with early intervention entities to ensure identified students have access to additional levels of support. Through collaboration with social work organizations, we’ve provided winter clothing and hygiene materials. Through community donations, we’ve distributed everything from snack packs to baby formula to fuzzy socks to stuffed animals to literacy bags stocked with school supplies. We’ve supported kindergarten enrollment, helped families make healthcare appointments, directed caregivers to free or low-cost transportation options, bolstered participation in library early learning programming, and more.
Community Connections Made
Early intervention referrals for identified students
Winter clothing & hygiene materials
Sponsorship:
Be Part of What Makes It Happen
Make an investment in Gwinnett Building Babies’ Brains by sponsoring the experiences that shape a child’s earliest years. Your support directly funds high-quality programming for educators at Impact Labs and hands-on learning opportunities for families at Early Learning Field Trips, ensuring access to the tools children and caregivers need to succeed. Top sponsors receive exclusive recognition, speaking opportunities, premium placement, and dedicated social promotion, while all levels provide brand visibility, on-site presence, and opportunities to connect directly with educators and families.
Each sponsorship level is designed to deliver both impact and engagement, from logo recognition and vendor tables to inclusion in digital communications, social media, and event recaps. Whether you sponsor an event or participate as a vendor, your investment strengthens classrooms, empowers families, and expands access to early learning across Gwinnett, creating lasting impact for children and the community.
If you’re interested in sponsoring a Gwinnett Building Babies’ Brains event in the future, please reach out below and we will contact you with more information about the levels available for each event.
Grants Awarded:
A Helping Hand from our Grants
Individual Donors:
All Hands In: Powered by Generosity
Organizations
Amerigroup
CareSource
Gwinnett County Public Schools Foundation
Interlocking Communities
Kroger
Lakeshore
Minuteman Press/Monte Bhavsar
Individual Donors
Selamawit Belachew
Kenneth Celic
Deborah Durrence
Kathy Greenstein
Barbara Quatey-Papalio
Stacey Turner
Patsy and Tom Upchurch Family (CFNEGA)
Vanessa Veismanova
Elizabeth Velazquez
Mariana Viana
Rebecca Weber
Stephanie White
Resource Donors
Goodwill of Northeast Georgia
Gwinnett County Community Services
Gwinnett County Public Library
Gwinnett County Public Schools
Gwinnett County Public Schools Foundation
Scholastic
Fundraising Partners
Jeremiah’s Italian Ice
Kona Ice
In-Kind Donors:
