Early Bird returns to the nest after a vacation
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.

Liz and I sent Early Bird on a little summer vacation, and now its back with an overview of what’s been happening in early childhood at the state level the last eight weeks.
The North Carolina Task Force on Child Care and Early Education released its interim report at the end of June, which contained key findings and initial recommendations. You can read the full report here.
The group met again on Aug. 4, breaking into work groups that will focus on workforce compensation and supports, finance and funding, and child care and early education for public sector workers before the next full meeting on Oct. 6. You can read our coverage of the August meeting here.
Also over the summer, the General Assembly passed legislation that loosens staffing requirements for programs and credential requirements for teachers, which you can learn more about here. Gov. Stein signed the bill into law.
When the legislation came up at last week’s task force meeting, Sherry Melton, a lobbyist for the North Carolina Licensed Child Care Association (NCLCCA), said, “We of course have said repeatedly, session after session, that more investment is needed, but they asked for regulatory reforms, and so we brought them everything we could think of that wouldn’t undermine quality or safety.”
The mini-budget passed by the legislature this summer did not include additional funding for early childhood care and education.
In July, Child Care Resources Inc. (CCRI) launched an interactive North Carolina Child Care Map, saying in an emailed press release:
Economic, workforce, and community development leaders, along with child care investors and ECE stakeholders, can utilize CCRI’s interactive map as a critical instrument for visualizing hyper-local data, revealing child care gaps across the state. This robust resource not only offers insights at the neighborhood level but also enhances understanding of socio-economic factors affecting child care accessibility, empowering stakeholders to identify areas in urgent need of attention and optimize resource allocation accordingly.
I’m excited to add this new tool to EdNC’s tool belt, and for other early childhood stakeholders statewide to do so as well. Check it out here.
There’s lots more to catch up on below, including: a new teacher substitute pool in New Hanover county, a must-read Profile in Care (seriously, it made one of our editors cry), lessons from the military for solving our state’s child care crisis, and an on-going series of literacy briefs from the NC Early Childhood Foundation.
More from EdNC on early childhood
Early childhood substitute teachers are hard to come by. A private funder is changing that in New Hanover County
This May, New Hanover County’s first early childhood substitute teacher from a new centralized substitute pool worked a shift at...Profiles in Care | Commander Koski knows ‘if your child’s not OK, then you’re not OK’
EdNC is highlighting the experiences of educators, families, researchers, and advocates with a stake in North Carolina’s early care and...Lessons from the military for solving North Carolina's child care crisis
The U.S. military faced a new threat to national security toward the end of the 20th century. This threat affected...Brief | Lessons from the classroom on implementing science of reading
Editor’s Note: The first brief of an eight-part series from the North Carolina Early Childhood Foundation is embedded below on...Brief | Science of reading and the paraprofessionals in the classroom
Editor’s Note: The second brief of an eight-part series from the North Carolina Early Childhood Foundation is embedded below on...Brief | Lower and upper elementary — Attending to both sides of the reading rope
Editor’s Note: The third brief of an eight-part series from the North Carolina Early Childhood Foundation is embedded below on...Brief | Aligning science of reading practices across core content, exceptional children, multilingual, and AIG program educators
Editor’s Note: The fourth brief of an eight-part series from the North Carolina Early Childhood Foundation is embedded below on...Brief | Creating a master schedule that maximizes the literacy block
Editor’s Note: The fifth brief of an eight-part series from the North Carolina Early Childhood Foundation is embedded below on...Ten education issues to watch at the start of the school year
One big budget bill and 181 executive orders into the Trump administration, one thing is clear for those of us...Gov. Stein addresses early childhood task force, calls child care 'necessary infrastructure' for disaster recovery
Western North Carolina’s child care network continues to recover from Hurricane Helene, which devastated the region close to a year...The Leon Levine Foundation expands to $2 billion
Learn more about the foundation’s next phase of impact, and meet Russ Altenburg, the program director for education, who sees...Legislature loosens child care staffing requirements, looks for other cost reductions without new funding
State lawmakers passed legislation this week to change child care regulations with a stated goal of expanding child care access...NCDHHS releases toolkit with information about childhood vaccines
Summer may have just begun, but as families prepare for a new school year, the N.C. Department of Health and...NC Institute of Medicine shares 15 recommendations to promote positive childhood experiences
The North Carolina Institute of Medicine (NCIOM), in collaboration with the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services (NCDHHS),...The big picture for little kids
News & Research
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Boone Area Chamber of Commerce Foundation Announces Funding to Support Early Childcare Industry - From Boone Area Chamber of Commerce Foundation
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From Head Start to Adult Ed, Trump Narrows Pathway for Undocumented Students - From The 74
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Curbing the expulsion of kids with disabilities at child care - From The Hechinger Report
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Policy Q&A: How a Cash Prescription Program Is Helping a Michigan Mom Provide Stability for Her Children - From Center on the Developing Child
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From Stories to Systems Change: The Potential for Caregiver Voices to Reshape Policy - From Center on Early Childhood
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Nurturing Communication in Kids With Autism - From Child Mind Institute
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New Design Toolkit for Enriching Outdoor Playspaces for our Youngest Learners - From Kaboom!
Taking flight! Opportunities to spread your wings
Tell Us What You Think: NC Child Care Crisis Film - From NC Child
From NC Child: Late last year, the Neimand Collaborative launched Take Care, a short documentary that brings our child care crisis to life through the voices and stories of North Carolina families, child care teachers, businesses, and community leaders. Whether you watched the documentary, joined screenings, partnered in outreach, and/or downloaded the Take Care toolkit—or none of the above—the Neimand Collaborative wants to hear from you! Please take a few minutes to complete this short survey by midnight on August 14. All responses are recorded anonymously.
Setting Up an Effective Classroom Environment - From Healthy Social Behaviors Helpline
Tuesday, August 19 | 7-8 p.m.
Meeting Link: https://ccrinc.zoom.us/j/3677997738
Meeting ID: 367 799 7738
From HSB Helpline: Join us to talk about ideal ways to set up your classroom, daily schedules, how to organize centers, making rules, and job charts. Join us in the discussion of strategies to use in the new year. A free, talk-to-the-experts webinar, presented by Healthy Social Behaviors Helpline advisors!
2025 NCAEYC Annual Conference Registration Now Open - From NC Association for the Education of Young Children
From NCAEYC:
Featured Keynote Speaker: North Carolina Lieutenant Governor Rachel Hunt
A Conversation that Connects Generations, Sectors, Roles and Experiences: Sharing a Commitment to Getting Things Right for Children Birth through Eight, their Families, and Our Field
Group and student discounts available. Space is limited.
Questions? Contact Chris Butler at [email protected]