The North Carolina Early Childhood Foundation (NCECF) is proud to share its 2025 Impact Report, highlighting a year of collaboration, innovation, and statewide progress on behalf of North Carolina’s youngest children and their families.
Throughout 2025, NCECF partnered with organizations, educators, employers, advocates, and community leaders across the state to strengthen North Carolina’s early childhood ecosystem – advancing solutions that are accessible, equitable, and informed by the voices of children, parents, caregivers, and educators.
This year’s report highlights the continued growth and impact of several key initiatives, including Family Forward NC®, Pathways to Grade-Level Reading, the NC Campaign for Grade-Level Reading, EarlyWell, and the Care and Learning Coalition. Together, these efforts are helping shape policies, workplace practices, literacy strategies, and community partnerships that support children from prenatal stages through third grade.
Among the report’s highlights:
- The launch and expansion of new family-friendly workplace strategies through Family Forward NC®
- Development of the Readers Are Built early literacy campaign
- Publication of science of reading and early care policy briefs
- New tools and data resources focused on chronic absenteeism and child care access
- Growing statewide collaboration around children’s mental health and family well-being
The report also looks ahead to exciting work underway in 2026, including the launch of a new Policy Resources and Solutions Center, and continued efforts to strengthen the Pathways Framework that guides so much of this work statewide.
None of this progress would be possible without the support of partners, funders, advocates, and communities across North Carolina who continue to invest in brighter futures for children and families.