Statement on North Carolina Court of Appeals Pre-K Ruling
Today, the North Carolina Court of Appeals ruled affirm the Superior Court Judge Howard Manning’s order mandating the State to not deny any eligible “at-risk” four year old admission to the North Carolina Pre-Kindergarten Program. In its ruling, the Court cited the following passage in Judge Manning’s decision.
“The bottom line, seven years after Leandro, II, is that the State, using the combination of Smart Start and the More at Four Pre-Kindergarten Programs, have [sic] indeed selected pre-kindergarten combined with the early childhood benefits of Smart Start and its infrastructure with respect to pre-kindergarten programs, as the means to ‘achieve constitutional compliance’ for at-risk prospective enrollees.”
“Wow! I am absolutely elated! Imagine what North Carolina would look like if every baby born today had the early learning experiences needed to thrive. Think about it—a child born today only has 2,000 days before he or she begins kindergarten. That child’s quality of life and the contributions he or she will make to society can be directly traced to these first few years of life. The North Carolina Court of Appeals’ decision today reaffirms that every child has the right to the opportunity to succeed,” said Dr. Olson Huff, Board Chair of The North Carolina Partnership for Children, Inc.
“A year ago, Judge Manning put North Carolina once again ahead of the nation, when for the first time ever, a United States court said that a child’s ability to access his or her right to have the equal opportunity to obtain a sound basic education begins at birth. Today, the Court agreed, and every North Carolinian will be better off as a result.”
