We are less than two months away to our next election on Nov. 3. In order to keep you informed about issues related to early childhood education and provide you with the resources you can share with others, we have compiled a variety of links and tools for you.
First, thank you for what you do every day to support young children and their families, helping to launch them as lifelong learners by the end of the third grade. This work could not be done without you. And, thank you for your willingness to share information with your networks, tell your story or reach out to education candidates of all upcoming races.
More than ever we need to keep children at the center of this election. We need to raise our voices including parents, providers, people of faith and businesses, to make sure that every child gets a strong early education and a sound, basic education so that we can build our community back better together than ever and move forward to a future that is brighter for all.
Our key messages are:
1. Simply put, we must put the needs of young children first. Their future and ours depends on what we do today.
The earliest years of life shape all the rest and represent the most rapid period of brain development, setting the stage for all future learning and life success. When we fail to support the healthy development of young children, beginning even before birth, and to ensure the physical and mental health of their parents, we limit their opportunities to thrive and succeed.
2. More funding is needed to support child care. The COVID-19 crisis has had a devastating impact on many of the support systems for our youngest children and families, from child care, to home visiting, to health care but none more than child care.
Families depend on child care to keep working. For years the early education system has been undervalued and underpaid for the work they do. Did you know that on average, child care teachers, even those with degrees, are paid around $10 per hour most often without any benefits? Today, many child care centers are struggling to stay open as enrollment is down due to COVID-19. Funding is urgently needed to support this industry before it collapses so that parents with young children can return to work and our economy can recover. H1105 only provides funding for school-age child care and remote learning centers. No funding is provided to support child care teachers and staff who are working every day to support working families, while risking their own health and safety.
3. Reading by the end of the third grade matters. We must strengthen the state's early childhood system infrastructure and make sure that children and families have access to policies, programs, and budgets that support their healthy development, early learning, and future success in school and in life.
Children who attend high-quality early education programs are better prepared for success in school—academically, socially, and emotionally. They are more likely to read by third grade, graduate high school, attend college, and obtain employment, and less likely to need behavioral interventions or become involved in the criminal justice system.
Take Action… What can you do to help?
What can we do to raise the profile of early education and ensure all candidates in all races have the information they need to make these decisions once they are elected? Here are a few ideas:
- Talk to candidates and elected officials about early education (send a message, e-mail or talk in person)
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Ensure early education question is included in local candidates' forums (see sample questions below)
- Share information about the importance of reading by the end of the third grade
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Share your own personal story about why early education is important or why reading matters and what you feel our community needs to do to improve and move forward.
Questions you can ask candidates
Here are some sample questions provided by the North Carolina Early Education Coalition we can ask candidates on both sides of the aisle and in all races:
- What actions will you take to ensure that all children birth to eight have access to high-quality early learning programs in every community and county in North Carolina?
- Most working families can’t afford child care, which can cost more than a home mortgage payment or public college tuition. What would you do to make sure working families are able to access child care assistance?
- How can you help ensure that all children have access to a sound basic education, beginning in early childhood, as required by the recent court action in Leandro v. State of North Carolina?
- What actions will you take to ensure that all young children birth through age 8 have equitable opportunities to thrive and reach their potential in school and in life, regardless of race, income, or zip code?
Online Resources and Links:
Who's running?
List of all candidates for the Nov. 3 General Election:
EdNC article featuring Patricia Spruill, owner of Step by Step, a family child care program in Tarboro:
Did you miss Strolling Thunder? NC Early Education Coalition’s virtual advocacy day?
This is a great resource that includes what’s at stake in this election, key data about young children and families, who’s on the ballot in NC, key election dates, and many other great tools.
Website:
Every Child NC "Every child is our child. Every school is our school."
