Impact Through Ambassadors

We know that it takes a village to raise a child. We also know that it is authentic, personal connections that make the most impact. Engaging and connecting with parents in Gwinnett to build awareness of the importance of early learning is crucial to our cause. In 2021, through grant funding and a partnership with Corners Outreach, we hired our first official GBBB Ambassadors. Through private donations and the generosity of the funders within the Community Foundation of Northeast Georgia, we were able to hire an additional team member to bring Brainy, our GBBB mascot, to life. Launching the GBBB Ambassador Program created an avenue for connecting directly with parents and introducing them individually and in small groups to all that Building Babies’ Brains has to offer. As our ambassadors met with parents in the park, at events, at the library, and more it became very clear that this was a much needed resource in our underserved communities. We were able to connect families with programming and locally accessible resources and walk them through the website, leaving them with a greater understanding of the importance of early learning.

The vast geographical size of our county, we knew we needed to expand our ability to reach families through this personalized approach. To begin our expansion, we called upon our collective team to support this work. We have been able to assemble a core of volunteers and GCPS Parent Engagement Specialists to work in the field making a difference as GBBB Ambassadors.

This small group has already made a huge impact and through newly awarded grant funding, we will be able to deploy additional Ambassadors allowing us to expand our reach.

When selecting locations for Ambassadors to visit, our goal was to utilize KREP scores to prioritize those with the greatest need. In those communities we wanted to be anywhere and everywhere children ages birth through five and their families would be playing, learning, and growing together. Community events, such as festivals and expos, were the perfect place to start! Attending community events and activities proved to be the ideal way to engage with families. In addition to engaging directly with families, we also seized the opportunity to connect with businesses and organizations, continuing to share information and build partnerships.

As we have engaged with our community, we have learned a great deal about the power of making personal connections and one aspect has consistently stood out, people are passionate about building babies’ brains!