Resources

Every day, approximately 15,000 infant toddler teachers are paid to care for and educate approximately 66,085 infants and toddlers enrolled in licensed child care programs across North Carolina. These early educators have the enormous responsibility of safeguarding and facilitating the development of our youngest children while they are spending the majority of their waking hours in child care when their parents work. These infant toddler teachers must have the knowledge, skills, and resources to provide consistent, nurturing, and positive relationships to support their healthy development and learning.

An acute shortage of child care subsidy funding exists, especially for families of infants and toddlers. In North Carolina, an estimated 102,971 infants and toddlers whose parents are working are eligible for child care subsidy.2 In 2018, 19,842 infants and toddlers received subsidy—only 19% of all eligible babies in North Carolina.3 Another way to estimate need is by looking at the child care subsidy waiting list. While not all eligible families apply for subsidy, in September 2018, 12,802 infants and toddlers remained on the waitlist. Of the children under age six waiting for subsidy, 56% were infants and toddlers.4 By any measure, there is a dramatic need to increase access to child care assistance and quality early care and learning programs in North Carolina.

During the first years of life, babies’ experiences are built into their bodies—shaping the brain’s architecture and building the foundation for future learning, behavior and health. Yet current and historic laws, policies and practices—both official and unofficial—have created and maintain widespread barriers to opportunity and success for babies and toddlers of color.

This brief disaggregates data on key NC Pathways to Grade-Level Reading shared measures of success to shine a light on the current disparities in outcomes—and opportunity—among groups of young children and their families.

Think Babies™ NC seeks to advance policies that support the healthy development of North Carolina’s babies and toddlers. It is aligned with the NC Pathways to Grade-Level Reading initiative and the NC Early Childhood Action Plan. 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 focused on advancing public awareness and policy solutions for infants, toddlers, and their families.

Process evaluation of the 2017-2018 Pathways Design Teams, including racial equity work.

Pathways Partners came together on October 18, 2018 to move to action on the NC Pathways to Grade-Level Reading Action Framework. Attendees reviewed the work of the Pathways Design Teams, shared the #PathwaysRipple effects they have seen in their own work, and brainstormed how Pathways can be most helpful as North Carolina implements the Action Framework. This is the appendices for the report summarizing the meeting.

Criteria for prioritizing strategies for action

PowerPoint Presentation for Design Team Meeting 5 in June 2018

Agenda for Pathways Design Team Meeting 5 in June 2018

Agenda for the last Pathways Design Team meeting in August 2018