Stories we were most proud to tell in 2024
Before we close the door on 2024...
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Here at the end of the year, Liz and I would like to share a few stories we were especially proud to tell in 2024. Check out each of our Top 5 lists below, plus the big project that was so special to us, it deserves a special spot all its own.
First up are Liz’s faves:
- It takes a village to raise children. New Mexico leaders are striving to ensure that ‘your state is your village.’ – I started the year reflecting on the final stop of our national tour last year. New Mexico might have been my favorite, both because of the large state investments advocates have secured for early learning and the snowy December day Katie and I got to experience in Santa Fe.
- Yadkin County leaders changed state rules to make a new kind of child care possible. Now they’re trying to build it. – I returned to Yadkin County to check in on the local FlexPlex effort. Local leaders are still trying to raise the funding necessary to create this innovative child care model, which could have helpful implications for rural communities across the state. I’ll be returning to Yadkinville in the new year to update all of you.
- This family child care provider is working to ensure ‘an invisible workforce’ is seen — and preserved – My favorite days of my job are spent in early childhood programs, like the one I had at Modern Early Learning Academy in Winston-Salem learning from owner and director Shay Jackson. I learned Shay closed her family child care home for a new chapter of early childhood state-level work a couple months ago, and felt so lucky I got to witness the learning environment she created in her home. Shay is a leader no matter where she is.
- Burke County elementary schools welcome two child care programs devastated by Helene – I was so inspired by reporting this story of a community coming together amid the tragedy and chaos of Helene. The story of the local school district, Smart Start partnership, and child care providers working quickly and creatively to return young children to learning taught me so much about this community’s resilience.
- DHHS releases ‘Take Care,’ a short documentary on North Carolina’s child care crisis – I’m grateful for the opportunity I got to try something new this year in being part of this documentary on child care challenges and solutions from the state Department of Health and Human Services. It’s only 20 minutes long and is meant to be shared and discussed with anyone and everyone.
And here are mine:
- At ISLA Los Sábados, Latine students belong – Being English-speaking in a Spanish-speaking setting was such an incredible learning experience, and seeing students get the opportunity to play and learn in an environment that celebrated their cultures was an absolute privilege. I can’t say enough about how wonderful the folks over at ISLA are, and how much care they put into their work with children. [Bonus: If you want to learn a little more about one of ISLA’s co-directors, check out this recent Perspective.]
- Two family child care homes in Washington County buck statewide closure trends – Washington County is in my home corner of the state, so when I noticed that its licensed family child care homes had both been open since well before the pandemic that forced so many others to close, I wanted to learn what gave them staying power. Their relationships with the families they serve reminded me of the power of connection, and it’s always an honor to be welcomed into people’s homes.
- At Strolling Thunder event in Washington D.C., an Alexander County family promotes expansion of Early Head Start – Y’all, this was just such a fun experience. Not only did I get to live out my West Wing fantasy of doing walk-and-talks through the halls of Congress, I got to do it alongside wonderful pals and advocates. (Shoutout to Angela Burch-Octetree, Hayleigh and Stephanie Marshall, and both Baby Callums!) Plus, my colleague Laura Browne helped me produce a video about it, which was a totally new and rewarding experience for me.
- EdExplainer | How babies’ brains develop – Sometimes it’s just nice to feel like an expert in your field, and writing this allowed me to hold space for that. I really love writing EdExplainers (here’s another from this year) because it takes me back to my roots as a teacher, trying to explain concepts in ways that are more accessible for my given audience. I’d love it if you’d share this one over and over and over again. ;)
- How Hyde County Schools is trying to break the ‘vicious cycle’ of child care and housing crises – Look. Obviously I love when my job takes me to Ocracoke. But what made me proud to tell this story was the acknowledgement at its heart that so many of our socioeconomic challenges are interdependent. Housing, employment, child care, and public education all come together in this innovative plan on our state’s outermost island.
As Liz hinted at with her mention of our national tour that included New Mexico, one project stood out to both of us as the prefect example of our work this year — North Carolina once led the way in early childhood policy and investment. Five other states are showing us how to do it again.
In September through December 2023, we traveled to five states that were leading the way on early childhood policy and investment to learn about what they were doing and how they were doing it. Then we identified some strategies that led to their successes and wrote about how those strategies might apply in North Carolina. We loved traveling together, meeting so many early childhood rockstars, and bringing home lessons for our state.
Before we close the door on 2024, there are a few things we’d like to celebrate:
- Village of Wisdom is celebrating 10 years of doing incredible work! You can read more about their initiative to prevent exclusionary discipline in pre-K here, and a major grant they received from the Department of Education here.
- We remain in awe of our Western NC neighbors for their resilience as recovery from Hurricane Helene continues. <3
- Liz’s dad is retiring after an incredible career at Corning. Her family is especially proud of his work partnering with NC A&T State University and championing Black leaders in the company.
- My parents are celebrating their 45th wedding anniversary today. Happy Anniversary, Mom & Dad!
- And finally, my spouse and I welcomed a new family member this week — meet Winnie!
Liz and I hope y’all have a peaceful and joyful end to 2024, and we look forward to being back in your inboxes in 2025!
More from EdNC on early childhood
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What are your early childhood hope and dreams for 2025? Let us know by replying to this email!
The big picture for little kids
Legislative Updates
The legislature overrode Gov. Roy Cooper’s veto of an omnibus bill that shifts responsibilities of state offices away from those that were won by Democrats in November’s election. It also includes a small bit of Hurricane Helene relief funding ($27 million) and three months worth of child care funding ($33.75 million) through compensation grants. The bill is now law.
When the bill was first discussed on the House floor on Nov. 19, Rep. Donny Lambeth, R-Forsyth, described the child care funding like so: “Quite frankly, we’re just kicking that can down the road until we have a solution.”
We’ll be covering whatever potential solutions arise as the legislature comes back into session in January.
Meanwhile, the Child Care Commission has been working on revising the state’s Quality Rating and Improvement System (QRIS) for licensed child care after the legislature directed it to do so last year. Here is the report with the recommendations that came out of the commission’s work, which was sent to the legislature in March.
The commission hosted information sessions last week on the recommended changes, which will be posted for public comment in the new year. The new QRIS would move from providers earning points to receive a star rating to providers meeting certain sets of requirements for each star rating. There are also three pathways for licensed programs to choose under the new changes depending on the program’s type and focus. Commission members said last week there will be additional information sessions in January to get stakeholders on the same page before the public comment period begins. Go here for the recordings of the information sessions, a timeline of the revision process, and more resources.
News & Research
- Investigating how kids are harmed by lower child care standards - From The Hechinger Report
- Opinion | The Largest Private Child Care Provider in the U.S. Went Public. How Will This Shape the Future of American Child Care? - From The 74
- As federal aid shrinks, communities try new ways to tackle child poverty on their own - From NPR
- To expand appeal, California apprenticeships in construction trades offer child care support - From EdSource
- Surging insurance costs are threatening the future of child care - From The Hechinger Report
- Innovative program aims to increase child care options and pull women into the workforce - From NBC News
- Household chaos, emotion regulation and social adjustment in preschool children - From Scientific Reports
- How to Find More Room for Child Care by Repurposing Public Schools - From New America
- State of Childcare in Rural North Carolina - From NC Rural Center
Taking flight! Opportunities to spread your wings
These resources have been compiled by the Division of Child and Family Well-being’s Whole Child Health Section to help assist both children and adults in regaining a sense of safety, processing what happened, and moving toward healing. The resource list includes strategies and tools specifically designed to help young children cope with trauma, as well as guidance for caregivers in providing appropriate emotional support. Available in both English and Spanish, DHHS encourages you to share these resources with your networks to ensure that all children and families have access to the support they need.
From the organizers: A free, talk-to-the-experts webinar, presented by the Healthy Social Behaviors Helpline advisors! Let’s talk about using choice and preference to promote improved behavior in preschool classroom. What is the choice-making strategy? Why is it important to offer choices to children? What resources are needed?
From the organizer: This annual event brings together professionals from across the country who are working on advocacy, policy, funding, strategy development and systems building toward implementation and sustainability of programs, as well as strategies and funding that support early education systems nationally and in states and communities across the country.
- Two days of workshops and keynote/plenary sessions on topics related to the early education workforce and systems building, including advancing equity and diversity in the field and emergent leadership development of TEACH and WAGE$ Program staff.
- Workshops across six breakout sessions, an opening keynote presentation the first morning and a plenary session on the second day. Workshops provide an atmosphere for networking and small group discussions.
- Opportunities to update your knowledge, grow your skills, and network with colleagues.
From the organizer: HOPE – Healthy Outcomes from Positive Experiences transforms our thinking about children and their development. We now know, through advances in neurobiology and epidemiology, that optimal development grows from four types of experiences that we call the building blocks of HOPE: safe nurturing Relationships, safe and equitable Environments in which to live, learn and play, Engagement with family and community to develop a sense of mattering, and opportunities for Emotional Growth. During this workshop, we will review the HOPE framework and the science behind it, high level ideas around implementation of the framework, and the formal and informal resources available in your community to promote access to the building blocks of HOPE. Through this presentation participants will…
- Understand the research behind Positive Childhood Experiences
- Practice using Type 2 thinking to see strengths first
- Review the Four Building Blocks of HOPE and how they promote health and wellbeing
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