GrowSmart Staff
The GrowSmart division is staffed by a collaborative team of three professionals who work closely together to support the City's early childhood education initiatives. They understand the importance of establishing a strong foundation for a child's success in school and life.
GrowSmart Team
The GrowSmart Team represents multiple City departments, community organizations, and the local school division. It meets monthly to identify and address important issues affecting early childhood education and development in Virginia Beach. By coming together regularly, we can have a greater collective impact than any individual or organization can achieve alone. The GrowSmart Team is responsible for implementing GrowSmart's strategic vision.
The GrowSmart Team is responsible for implementing GrowSmart's strategic vision, which includes developing a plan for implementation and ongoing assessment of a comprehensive early childhood system focused on Virginia Beach children from prenatal stages to 8 years old. Healthy Families Virginia Beach plays an integral role in this plan.
The GrowSmart Team is composed of representatives from multiple City departments, community organizations, and the local school division. The team meets monthly to identify and address critical issues affecting early childhood education and development in Virginia Beach. By working together regularly, the team achieves a greater collective impact than any individual or organization could accomplish alone.
As the Healthy Families Virginia Beach Advisory Board, the GrowSmart Team provides guidance in planning, implementing, and evaluating site-related activities. They actively participate in the Equity Plan and all analyses conducted by Healthy Families Virginia Beach. The team also receives annual reports and report cards from Healthy Families Virginia Beach and assists in promoting and advocating for the program throughout the community.
GrowSmart Foundation
Formed in June 2014, the Virginia Beach GrowSmart Foundation acts as an advocacy group that seeks to garner public and private support. The GrowSmart Foundation Board helps ensure increased attention and resources are devoted to early childhood education and development.
GrowSmart Is Visionary
In 2012, the citizen group Envision Virginia Beach 2040 published its final report that articulated a vision for our city for the year 2040. Endorsed by the Virginia Beach City Council in May 2012, the vision has served as a guide for our City's strategic planning process for more than two years.
By focusing on strategic priorities, the GrowSmart Staff, GrowSmart Team, and the Virginia Beach GrowSmart Foundation align efforts for maximized results.