Governor Perdue Releases Budget, Recommends Restoring $43M in Cuts to Early Education
Dr. Olson Huff, Board Chair of The North Carolina Partnership for Children, Inc.
“We applaud Governor Perdue for putting forth a budget that heavily invests in young children, restoring millions of dollars of funding cut from Smart Start and NC PreK. Her budget reflects her ongoing commitment to ensuring that children have the opportunities that they need to succeed in school and in life. The years between birth to five are critical, not only for individual children, but for all North Carolinians. When we provide children with the experiences they need during their early years, we get a lifetime of results not just for those children, but also our state and our economy.
There are only 2,000 days between the time a baby is born and when that child shows up for the first day of kindergarten. Children’s experiences during this time literally determine how their brains are wired. With quality early childhood education, children will be school ready; have higher graduation rates and grow into productive citizens and valuable employees. These investments will begin to rebuild our state’s nationally renowned early childhood system.”
See the full budget at http://osbm.nc.gov/thebudget. Early education recommendations begin on page 96.
