Resources
NC Child “builds a strong North Carolina by advancing public policies to ensure all children – regardless of race, ethnicity, or place of birth – have the opportunity to achieve their full potential.” Its section on family economic security provides a good overview of these issues.
The NC Early Education Coalition “accomplishes [its] mission of advocacy and education by: developing policy positions shared with elected officials; researching and producing fact sheets for our members, policymakers, and the media; providing training and resources on critical early education issues; engaging early childhood policy staff and a full-time lobbying team at the NC General Assembly; and creating advocacy alerts to mobilize [its] members to action on early education issues.”
NC Early Childhood Foundation has a mission “to marshal North Carolina’s great people, ideas and achievements to build a foundation of opportunity and success for every child by the end of third grade.” They include a fact sheet covering their accomplishments and goals.
The First 2000 Days is a critical period for child development. The toolkit provides a host of resources for all to use. NC Early Childhood Foundation is the state level and Buncombe Partnership for Children is the local ally for The First 2,000 Days.
National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC), North Carolina Chapter offers a number of resources and news here.
The Annie E Casey Foundation is focused on “[b]uilding a Brighter Future for Children, Families and Communities.” The Kids Count Data Center provides a wealth of data on children. This link connects you to the North Carolina link which you can break down into county data.
The First Five Years Fund has a mission to “create a smarter, stronger, healthier, and more productive America through early childhood education for disadvantaged children through bipartisan federal advocacy.” They offer information on the need and why it matters here.
Zero to Three “promotes good health, strong families, and positive early learning experiences for all infants and toddlers, with special emphasis on those who are the most vulnerable and in need.”
Self-Help Credit Union has developed a business training program for child care providers and trainers called “Child Care Business Basics.” This resource is available, upon request, to technical service providers and is currently being offered in training sessions (open to the public) through a partnership between Self-Help and the Buncombe County Partnership for Children. For more information, contact Tara Brown at (828) 239-9231, ext. 3473 or at tara.brown@self-help.org.
Key Allies
Buncombe Partnership for Children “invests in the First 2,000 Days of a child’s life — in children ages 0-5, their families, and the early educators who care for and teach them by partnering with local organizations to provide programs that improve the quality of early childhood education; increase access to affordable, high quality early care and education; expand early literacy opportunities; support children’s healthy development and provide family support.”
Get involved: Contact Amy Barry at (828) 407-2054 or amy@buncombepfc.org.
WNC Social Justice Advocacy Guide 