Marching on and springing forward
Early Bird readers, hello again. Newcomers, welcome! If you were forwarded this email, you can sign up here to receive it every two weeks, and join our conversation on issues facing North Carolina’s young children and those who support them. If you’re already a subscriber, please help us reach more people by sharing this with your friends and co-workers interested in early childhood education.
There’s a lot going on in our world right now — globally, nationally, and locally — and your EdNC early childhood team is working to stay focused on bringing you stories about early care and learning in our state and your communities.
But we know even this single topic can be overwhelming at times: Keeping track of the many people and organizations working on the issue in North Carolina, understanding the science behind babies’ brain development, making the case that (like K-12 education) early childhood education is a public good, knowing what other states are doing to solve the child care crisis, figuring out which cross-partisan policies are the best fit for supporting child and family freedom and well-being in our state, following recovery efforts in Western North Carolina, explaining what comes next…
It’s a lot.
But you know we’ve got you!
Liz put together the EdNC coverage you need to understand early care and learning, all in one place. Bookmark this one (or whatever you do to save your favorite articles) because you can come back to it over and over again to find our most useful work of the last three years, and share it with folks who are looking for opportunities to learn about early childhood for themselves.
We’ve also got an update on the expansion of the state’s Tri-Share pilot that can help get you up to speed on a program that has lots of folks talking about how businesses can be part of the solution to child care challenges.
And if you’re looking for how early care and learning fits into the greater education policy and philanthropy context, our EdNC colleagues have that covered too. Check out articles below from Mebane and Hannah.
Thank you for trusting that when the firehose of information feels like too, too much, we’ll be here focusing on what works for our state’s youngest learners, their families, and their educators.
More from EdNC on early childhood
The EdNC coverage you need to understand early care and learning, all in one place
Child care has risen as a top issue for the 2025 long legislative session. Here are the EdNC pieces you...Tri-Share, a state pilot to reduce child care costs, opens to businesses statewide
St. Joseph of the Pines, a retirement home in Moore County, surveyed its staff in 2023 to ask about their...U.S. Department of Education bans educational institutions from considering race
Educational institutions receiving federal funds — including preschool, elementary, secondary, and postsecondary educational institutions, as well as state educational agencies...Education issues on the table for the 2025 long session
The 2025-26 long session is underway, and as usual, lawmakers are likely to consider many education issues and policies. The...The ongoing role of philanthropy in western North Carolina
“Our state is facing nearly $60 billion in damages,” says a letter and 46-page report sent by Gov. Josh Stein...Lt. Gov. Hunt to visit all 58 community colleges, focus on workforce readiness and child care solutions
Lt. Gov. Rachel Hunt kicked off a tour of all 58 of the state’s community colleges with a visit Thursday...The big picture for little kids
Legislative Updates
Two bills have been filed in the last few weeks — one in the House and one in the Senate — that directly relate to early care and learning.
House Bill 115, Child Care Facility Tax Exemption would exempt all child care facilities from property taxes. You can keep up with future developments here.
Senate Bill 98, Funds for Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library would appropriate $1.5 million in recurring funding for Dolly Parton’s beloved literacy program that mails developmentally appropriate books to children whose families have signed up to participate. You can follow along here.
And in the final days of February, Lt. Gov. Rachel Hunt kicked off a tour of all 58 of the state’s community colleges. Championing community colleges is one of three priorities in Hunt’s “Future-Ready North Carolina” policy plan, along with increasing child care access and affordability, and expanding K-12 career readiness programs. Hunt’s specific child care priorities are expanding Tri-Share and incentivizing new child care programs on community college campuses. We’ll be paying close attention to her child care priorities and keeping y’all in the loop.
News & Research
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Understanding the Basics of Child Care in the United States - From Center for American Progress
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Understanding the U.S. Dept. of Education’s Role in Ensuring Fair and Equal Opportunity, from Pre-K through 12th Grade - From New America
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The Black Child National Agenda - From Equity Research Action Coalition
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Supporting Child Care Workers as Parents: How the Kentucky Subsidy Income Exclusion for Child Care Employees Helps Increase Access to Child Care - From Buffett Early Childhood Institute
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Idaho is about to endanger its youngest residents—with help from Wonderschool - From Eliot Haspel
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Child Care Availability: A Key Driver of Economic Health - From NC Early Childhood Foundation
Taking flight! Opportunities to spread your wings
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Webinar: Professional Development Teacher Membership - From DCDEE
From DCDEE: Join us for an exclusive webinar to learn more about the Professional Development Teacher Membership designed specifically for early childhood educators! Discover how this membership can support your growth with ongoing online learning opportunities, valuable resources, and practical strategies to enhance your teaching practice. Register below to attend a free webinar on Wednesday, March 5 at 6:30 p.m. or Thursday, March 6 at 1 p.m. to learn how!
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Request for Proposals: PBS North Carolina's Impact Summit - From PBS North Carolina
From PBS North Carolina: PBS North Carolina’s Impact Summit empowers educators, parents, and caregivers to lay a strong foundation for young learners (birth through 3rd grade). A key highlight of the event is our breakout sessions, which provide engaging, relevant content aligned with this year’s theme: “Advancing Family Engagement and Leadership Within Our Community”. Our goal is for participants to leave with deeper knowledge and actionable strategies they can implement in early childhood settings, driving success for young learners. PBS North Carolina invites members of the early childhood education community to submit breakout session proposals for consideration.
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Interest form: Medicaid Storytelling Project - From NC Child
From NC Child: NC Child is launching a project to highlight the positive impacts of Medicaid Expansion on North Carolina’s children and families. Our team is looking to hear stories from families across the state who gained coverage through expansion. If you or anyone you know would be interested in participating in an interview and sharing your story for this project, please complete our interest form and a member of our team will be in contact with you!
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Webinar: Early Childhood Development and the Next 1,000 Days - From The Lancet
From the organizers: The Latin American Coalition of Networks for Early Childhood (#SomosCrianza) invites you to a webinar launching The Lancet’s new series, Early Childhood Development and the Next 1,000 Days. This series highlights why the period from ages 2 to 5 is critical for children’s health, development, and well-being. Experts will discuss the importance of nurturing environments, early learning investments, and policy implications for improving early childhood outcomes.
Co-organized by Somos Crianza, NIEER, NYU Global TIES for Children, and the Inter-American Development Bank, the event will feature leading experts in early childhood development. Don’t miss this important discussion on shaping the future of early learning!
📢 Please note: This event will be conducted entirely in Spanish.
📅 Date: Tuesday, March 5, 2024
⏰ Time: 10 AM ET
