NC PreK Expansion
Last month Governor Perdue announced her decision to utilize $20 million dollars for NC Pre-K. Since the announcement, the Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) and the Governor’s office have been asked to articulate where the funds were coming from to pay for the new slots. Olson Huff, Chair of the Board The North Carolina Partnership for Children, Inc. shares the following comments.
The need for quality early childhood education programs like Smart Start and NC Pre-K is great. Children who participate in such programs grow up to have better jobs, better education, and better lives.
While more funds are needed for early care and education, I feel compelled to comment on the concerns that have been raised regarding the source of funding for recently added NC Pre-K slots.
NCPC and Smart Start local partnerships dedicate themselves to our state’s children—to ensuring that all children have the opportunity for learning and healthy development. We are proud that our early childhood system, with agility and integrity, can quickly move resources to serve children because of the leadership in local counties across North Carolina.
All of us with Smart Start are passionate advocates and would never want our work to come at the expense of other programs serving vulnerable children and families, but rather in addition to them.
