The NC Early Education Coalition honored five North Carolina legislators with 2018 Early Education Champion awards in recognition of their efforts to promote early childhood education and support young children and families.
“State policymakers are stepping up to be early childhood education champions, and know that early childhood education offers a solid return on investment. When we invest in young children and their families, we ensure a strong future for us all,” said Michele Rivest, Policy Director for the NC Early Education Coalition.
2018 Early childhood education champions include:
- Sen. Ralph Hise, Senate District #47 representing Madison, McDowell, Mitchell, Polk, Rutherford and Yancey Counties
- Sen. Chad Barefoot, Senate District 18 which includes Franklin County and parts of eastern and southern Wake County.
- Sen. Terry Van Duyn, Senate District #49 representing Buncombe County.
- Rep. Craig Horn, House District #68, Union County.
- Rep. Verla Insko, House District #56 Orange County.
The awards were given during the “Building Strong Foundations for Babies” forum held on April 4, 2018. The event launched a new initiative, ThinkBabiesNC, focused on building public awareness and public support for infants, toddlers and their families.
The NC Early Education Coalition works to ensure that all children have access to high quality early care and learning experiences. Since 1990, the organization has highlighted the proven power of quality early childhood education by sharing information and resources with parents, professionals and policymakers. For more information, visit, www.ncearlyeducationcoalition.org or follow @ncearlyedco on Twitter.