Strolling Thunder: Babies, Toddlers and their Parents Call for Investments in the First Three Years

More than one hundred parents, advocates, babies and toddlers met up at the NC General Assembly last week and shared their stories with state legislators, in support of affordable and high-quality early learning and care, family-friendly workplace policies, and better training and compensation for early childhood educators. The day-long event included speakers, visits to legislators and story time with the children. Check out this article from EdNC for more details about the day.

The Strolling Thunder legislative event was part of the Think Babies™ NC initiative. Think Babies™ NC is led by the NC Early Education Coalition, with support from the NC Early Childhood Foundation and a Leadership Team of state and local organizations. Funded by the Pritzker Children’s Initiative and Zero To Three, Think Babies™ NC aims to improve outcomes in children’s first three years by advancing public awareness and policy solutions for infants, toddlers, and their families.

Research demonstrates that when policies and programs ensure healthy beginnings at birth, support families, and make high-quality child care and learning environments more accessible and affordable, young children benefit. Think Babies™ NC is aligned with the NC Pathways to Grade-Level Reading initiative and the NC Early Childhood Action Plan.