As conference begins, an inspiring break from legislative news

As legislators move into conference negotiations, the budget items for early care and education on the table so far do not include new state funding for child care stabilization as federal relief funds dry up. The Senate proposal instead would redirect another pot of federal money to continue grants to programs to increase teacher compensation. Providers say that without the grants, it’s going to be even harder to find qualified staff — and affordable options for families will be even more scarce.

But the federal money the Senate budget included would run out before the end of the upcoming fiscal year, said Summer Tonizzo, spokesperson for the Department of Health and Human Services. The department would need another $40 million ($100 million total) for the grants to last through June 2024. The original request from advocates, the department, and policymakers was $300 million for the funds to last through the budget biennium.

Fortunately, my colleague Katie Dukes provided us with a break in the legislative back and forth since the last Early Bird. Katie spent time at Kimberley Park Elementary School in Winston-Salem to bring us the heartwarming story of a school embracing social-emotional learning, and the leaders behind that change.

As a “restart school,” which is a school with recurring low academic performance to which the state provides flexibility, Principal Diamond Cotton adopted Feeling Friends, a curriculum aimed at helping students understand and navigate emotions through 12 animal characters, including Lotta Love the LovaRoo, Angie the Angry Tiger, and Billy the Bully Goat.

Teachers and staff say they’ve noticed a meaningful change in the school’s culture, and in the mental and emotional health of students, teachers, and families.

“People walk into our building, and then they’re like, ‘It just feels different.’ And that’s what I want,” Cotton said.

Read on for a deep dive into the community surrounding the school, the inspiring woman, Miss KK, behind the Feeling Friends curriculum, and why social-emotional skills matter for early childhood learning.