Katie Dukes

Keeping up with early care and learning amid the chaos

The number of licensed child care programs in. North Carolina declined by 5.6% between March 2020 and November 2024. 

With the start of a new long session for the NC General Assembly, here are some prominent early childhood organizations and names to know.

Child care is uniquely bipartisan. Red states are making headway in patching a broken system to strengthen families' early learning choices.

EdNC looks back at 2024 highlights in North Carolina early childhood news and policy, and stories of belonging and resilience.

In Beaufort County, high school students are building Little Free Libraries for the Literacy Task Force.

OPTION 1: “We are in crisis, and I'm worried what kind of care options we are going to have in the western part of the state — if it's going to be existent,” said Alissa Rhodes, who closed her child care program in Swannanoa in July. This week, she fled as Hurricane Helene devastated her community. OPTION 2: The Division of Child Development and Early Education is reaching out to the more than 800 licensed child care programs in the Western region impacted by Hurricane Helene. “The path of the storm was unexpected, its strength ferocious, and the magnitude of its destruction is nearly incomprehensible,” said Candace Witherspoon, acting director of the division.

In their first 1,000 days, infants and toddlers need support from caring adults to develop the healthy brains they'll use for life.

We're back to school, babies!

EdNC wrote a book titled, “North Carolina’s Choice: Why our public schools matter.” This chapter is about their role in early learning.