Each Child. Every Community.

During this time of political polarization, it is such an inspiration to see legislators who find common ground in their support for early childhood. There are compassionate, smart, and responsible leaders serving in North Carolina’s General Assembly who don’t just give lip service to their beliefs regarding this sacred period of human development. They are elevating, in a bipartisan way, the full comprehensive early childhood education services that offer all families in North Carolina support in raising healthy young children who will grow into successful, contributing adults in our great state.

“I strongly believe it is the single best investment that we can make as a state government”– Senator Jay Chaudhuri, NC Senate District 15

Smart Start Conference attendees joined together in May to hear from members of NC’s Early Childhood Legislative Caucus. Each Senator and Representative spoke highly of the need to invest in early childhood. Attendees were able to learn more about the current efforts in the General Assembly to support early childhood care and education.

l-r: Karen McNight, Sen Jay Chaudhuri, Rep Ashton Clemmons, Rep David Willis

The panel included Representative Ashton Clemmons (D-Guilford), Senator Jay Chaudhuri (D-Wake), and Representative David Willis (R-Union). These panelists provided a bipartisan look at early childhood, exploring how legislators are actively working together to build consensus and collaboration for early childhood care and education issues.

The panel was moderated by Karen McKnight, Deputy Director for Early Learning Programs from the Hunt Institute. The Hunt Institute was a critical connector during the initial creation of NC’S Early Childhood Legislative Caucus.

Amy Cubbage, President of The North Carolina Partnership for Children, was thankful for the panelists for their thoughts. Looking back on the panel, Amy stated “It is such an inspiration to see legislators who find common ground in their support for early childhood”.

Childhood is a Priority

For each panelist, childhood was truly a priority. Rep. Clemmons believes that the best way we can help children succeed is by having them come to kindergarten ready to succeed.  She spoke on the need for leaders across different ideological beliefs to come together, and that by listening and sharing stories, joint opportunities can be found.

The prioritization of early care and education was clear throughout the panel as the panelists discussed the need for a focus on early childhood education and barriers to the profession. In particular, Rep. Willis lifted up staffing as a critical need. Rep. Willis owns a child care center and provided valuable insight into the issues with retention. Senator Chaudhuri and Rep. Clemmons echoed his sentiment.

click to view the session on YouTube

Likewise, the full panel emphasized the need for a strong early care and education system to support the overall workforce. Rep. Willis remarked, “we can’t continue to attract businesses without having quality child care available to them” and Senator Chaudhuri stated, “we can’t solve the issue of rebuilding our economy unless we look at the demand side”.

While the panelists recognize the effects of workforce supports such as the Child Care WAGE$® Program, they also understand the need for others to hear the stories of children, families, and teachers. Rep. Clemmons recommends continuing to reach out to invite elected officials to everything that you can within the early childhood space.

While each panelist may have different political ideologies, it is evident that early childhood care and education is at the forefront of their minds as legislation is created.

If you’re interested in the NC Early Childhood Legislative Caucus, you can learn more on the NCGA Joint Early Childhood Caucus Facebook page.