“Gather around, dragonflies, butterflies, bumblebees, and fireflies!”
It’s singalong time at Growing Connections for Pediatric Achievements (GCPA) in Greensboro.
The names for the different children’s classes feel appropriate. Some of the kids are just barely old enough to walk. All have developmental delays or special health care needs. But in the comforting circle formed by their classroom leads, aides, and therapists, they happily sing along to “Wheels on the Bus” and other familiar nursery tunes as they participate in their speech, physical, or occupational therapy.
The staff wears colorful smocks decorated with a communication picture board. Children with speech delays or differences can point to the symbol of what they need, a system known as augmented and alternative communication (AAC). Similar boards cover their playground and the digital communication tablets they use in therapy sessions.
It feels like a place where a child can find their wings and soar.
One of the things that makes GCPA stand out, according to Executive Director Ma’Kayla Jefcoat, is that its programs are for children from birth to 3 years old. “A lot of other programs start at age 2,” she says. “But 80% of brain growth happens in birth-to-three. Two is a late start to be going into early intervention.”
Another perk is its location. If not for this center housed at Guilford County Schools’ Gateway Education Center, many Triad parents might have to go an hour or two out of their way, driving their children to Winston-Salem or Chapel Hill.
And GCPA has gone through a lot of growth upon reaching its 75th anniversary. It not only serves as a launchpad for children; it’s been a platform for UNC Greensboro students with a passion for care.
More than a grade; a mission
Jefcoat ’20, ’22 MPA, like many alumnae now working full-time at GCPA, began as an intern while she was earning her master of public affairs with a concentration in non-profit management, having moved onto graduate school immediately after getting her bachelor’s in English from UNCG.
She was drawn to GCPA because she knew she would see an immediate benefit from her contributions. “I wanted a project that I knew would be making an impact, instead of just doing one for a grade,” she says.
She got a sense of the importance of GCPA — then known as the Greensboro Cerebral Palsy Association — from her very first meeting with its vice president, Mike Krick, in 2020. “He got emotional talking about the program and how important the work was,” she relates. “That really spoke to me and made me excited to help them.”
One of her first tasks was taking over social media responsibilities. The young intern brought an internet savviness the older staff greatly appreciated.
Little did she know it would become much more than that.
Throughout her internship, she observed the operations, fundraising, and partnership strategies of a nonprofit, and she wrote down her own ideas for improving those functions. She shared her ideas with Krick.
To her surprise, he said, “That is something we want our executive director to do.” Within a matter of months, she was recommended by the vice president to take on that very position.
“Here we are, four-plus years later,” she says. “It was a shock, but I was excited. I like to start from a blank slate, to build and see what the possibilities are. It was kind of comforting that there wasn’t a ‘box.’ I could make that box.”