Closing the circle
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.
In the last couple of weeks, Liz and I have been immersed in different parts of the world of child care in North Carolina. I burrowed into the latest data on the number of licensed child care sites across the state, and she traveled to Western N.C. to visit a center on its first day back in its building almost a year after Hurricane Helene.
What I found was a continuing decline in the number of licensed family child care homes since the pandemic (22%), and the pace of that decline appears to be accelerating following the end of stabilization grants. And even while the number of centers seems to have stabilized — it’s actually increased a smidge — the enrollment at those centers has decreased.
What Liz found was a scene of gratitude and relief for educators, parents, and students who’d been displaced from Quaker Meadows Generations in Burke County for 11 months.
“Seeing those little faces walk in and how excited they were, especially the kids that were here before the hurricane, to just walk in and their little eyes see the new playgrounds and the new equipment. It was just — it closed the circle,” said Tina Kyes, family and child development director at Blue Ridge Community Action (BRCA), the center’s parent organization.
Leaders of the program shared that their recovery process was not over, and that a lack of statewide investment in early care and education continues to threaten their stability.
For both of us, these stories get at why we do the work we do on behalf of our state’s youngest learners. They’re statewide and neighborhood-level looks at the effects of choices made by North Carolina’s policymakers.
We’ve got more of that work coming your way soon, with a new Profile in Care and an up-close look at the state’s early childhood apprenticeship programs.
More from EdNC on early childhood
Number of licensed child care homes continues to decline after end of stabilization grants
The number of licensed family child care homes (FCCHs) in North Carolina has decreased by 22% since before the pandemic. ...Perspective | Camp Ignite sparks children’s love for reading with free books
Rising kindergarteners at Stocks Elementary School in Edgecombe County waited with excitement on the colored carpet as they prepared to...Back to school in Burke County means coming home for a Helene-displaced Head Start program
Nearly a year after Hurricane Helene left more than 4 feet of water inside the halls of Quaker Meadows Generations...How can faith leaders support early childhood development?
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News & Research
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States Investing in Child Care through Trusts and Endowments - From Buffett Early Childhood Institute
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A New Endowment Aims to Transform Connecticut’s Early Education System - From New America
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Katrina destroyed New Orleans’ early childhood education. 20 years later, it’s a model for success. - From The 19th
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Scaling high quality: An implementation study of Boston’s Universal Pre-K expansion to community-based programs - From Early Childhood Research Quarterly
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New Jersey preschool program helps kids catch up — but many are missing out - From The Hechinger Report
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Kentucky Chamber of Commerce suggests lowered childcare costs could lead to economic growth - From WKMS
Taking flight! Opportunities to spread your wings
On-demand trainings for infant and toddler teachers - From NC B3 Quality Initiative
Check out the flyer linked above to learn more about two online, on-demand, self-paced trainings, accessible on a computer or mobile device:
- Supporting Developmental Monitoring and Screening in Early Care and Education Settings
- The Power of Positive Relationships: Supporting Birth-Three Social
Emotional Development
NC Child Q&A with Author Elliot Haspel - From NC Child
On September 18th at 6:30pm, NC Child is hosting a virtual conversation with child and family policy expert Elliot Haspel about his new book, Raising a Nation: 10 Reasons Every American Has a Stake in Child Care For All. Raising a Nation offers a new framework for thinking about a comprehensive, inclusive child care system: one that supports families in all their diversity, whether they want to utilize a licensed child care program, or have a parent or family member as the primary child care provider. The conversation will be hosted by NC Child ECE Policy Analyst Leanna Martin, and we will open the conversation for selected questions from attendees.
2025 Growing Well Conference: Moving Mountains and Community - From Appalachian Institute for Health and Wellness
The first annual Growing Well Conference will offer inspiration, education, and connection for those working to support children and youth with special healthcare needs in rural western North Carolina. This year’s theme, “Moving Mountains and Community,” highlights the resilience, innovation, and collaboration needed to improve outcomes for families navigating complex health and social systems. The event will kick off with a Pre-Conference Workshop on Sunday, October 12, followed by two full days of conference programming on October 13–14.
