Advancing Birth-to-8 Policy through the Every Student Succeeds Act

The North Carolina Early Childhood Foundation is partnering with the Office of Early Learning (OEL) at the Department of Public Instruction to convene a group of state leaders to develop recommended birth-to-eight strategies to be included in North Carolina’s Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) state plan.

OEL is leading the development of the early learning provisions of the plan and is seeking input from early learning leaders. The meeting will be held in mid-September. National policy expert and Senior Policy Advisor with EducationCounsel Danielle Ewen will co-facilitate the meeting. Danielle is advising early learning leaders across the country on the early learning provisions in ESSA, federal expectations on the inclusion of a birth-to-eight strategy in state plans, and policies and practices that can be incorporated into state plans to support young children’s learning.

John Pruette, Director of the Office of Early Learning at the NC Department of Public Instruction, updated the State Board of Education on the early learning opportunities in ESSA. (Thanks to EdNC for covering the meeting and providing the video.)

ESSA is the new federal education law approved in December 2015 to replace No Child Left Behind. States are required to develop their own ESSA plan to comply with the federal law. The law strengthens federal support for early learning and provides new opportunities for birth-through-third grade alignment, accountability and funding.