Investing In Our Workforce

Investing In Our Workforce

Smart Start Local Partnerships receive Think Babies NC Community Partner Mini-Grants

Think Babies™ NC is an initiative to build public awareness and policymaker support for North Carolina’s youngest children and their families. Seven Smart Start local partnerships received Community Partner Mini-Grants as part of Think Babies™ Join Smart Start in congratulating the...

Continue reading →

Buncombe County Partnership for Children Receives NCWorks Local Innovation Grant

Buncombe Partnership for Children received a $400,000 grant to help expand the Western North Carolina (WNC) Early Childhood Workforce Development Program which addresses the shortage of early childhood educators. Buncombe will lead the initiative to increase the number of teachers...

Continue reading →

Rally4Babies is only one week away!

The Rally4Babies is only one week away! On Monday, July 8 at 2 PM Eastern Time, connect live with event speakers, presenters, and thousands of early childhood advocates in support of early learning policies that benefit babies and toddlers....

Continue reading →

Early Experiences Shape Brain Architecture and the Skills We Need to Thrive

"The quality of the interactions and experiences that our communities provide for children either strengthens or undermines children's development," said Al Race, Deputy Director of the Center on the Developing Child at Harvard University, at the Smart Start Leadership...

Continue reading →

Business Leaders Say Early Childhood Investments Needed to Overcome Skills Gap

CHARLOTTE, NC – If current education and labor market trends continue, North Carolina could face a shortage of 46,000 workers in the coming years, due largely to the gap between the jobs that require certain skills and/or post-secondary education,...

Continue reading →

Heckman Equation Launching Blog

It has been a great month for early childhood development. Following the President’s State of the Union address last month, it seems you can’t turn on the radio or open a newspaper without hearing about “birth-to-five,” “high-quality early...

Continue reading →

NC children continue to suffer from the recession

(Action for Children)--The recession continues to take a heavy toll on children and families in North Carolina as current economic conditions are expected to remain similar to those of a year ago--and much worse than they were in 2007, according to...

Continue reading →

Invest in early childhood development: Reduce deficits, strengthen North Carolina’s economy.

Those seeking to reduce deficits and strengthen North Carolina's economy should make significant investments in early childhood education, according to a new publication by Nobel Prize-winning economist James Heckman. The Fact Sheet -- Invest in early childhood development: Reduce deficits, strengthen North Carolina’s...

Continue reading →

Business Leaders Tout Value of Early Education Funding

On November 13, 2012, six North Carolina business people released a new report at a press conference in Raleigh, which highlighted the short- and long-term economic benefits of investments in early care and education. View the full story published...

Continue reading →

Investments in Quality Early Learning Provide Big Boost to Raleigh Economy, New Report Shows

Business Leaders’ Press Conference at Raleigh Pre-school on Tuesday November 13 at 10 a.m. Early care and education investments generate millions in economic activity for North Carolina businesses and improve future workforce   RALEIGH, NC – Six prominent North Carolina business leaders...

Continue reading →