President Biden: Infrastructure and Education
President Biden has unveiled a $2 trillion plan he calls a “once in a generation investment” to grow the economy. The plan addresses transportation, schools, broadband, bridges, climate change, and the environment and promises to pay for these projects with taxes on corporations.
Additionally, the administration is working on a second plan focused on education, child care, and other social programs. You can read President Biden’s remarks on both issues here.
COVID-19 impact on North Carolina families
The North Carolina Child Health Report Card is published biannually by the North Carolina Institute of Medicine and NC Child. It tracks key indicators of child health and well-being in four areas: healthy births, access to care, secure homes and neighborhoods, and health risk factors.
The report shows that losing a home, skipping meals, or having a parent struggling with depression can result in serious long-term consequences for kids. Before COVID-19, nearly half of children in North Carolina lived in a family struggling with poverty. Now many more families are having a hard time meeting their child’s basic needs.
View the executive summary
Download the NC Child Health Report Card
Leandro: How this court case may impact early childhood education
In 1994, five counties sued North Carolina and the State Board of Education, saying students were not receiving a sufficient education. The N.C. Supreme Court ruled that every child has a state constitutional right to a sound, basic education. Governor Roy Cooper created a commission to address the issue in 2017, and a year later, appointed WestEd to recommend specific actions the state needs to take to comply with Leandro. On March 15, a remedial plan was delivered to the court.
Education NC has an overview of the Leandro case and the remedial action plan and the appendix to the report with a detailed look at funding and timeline for implementation. The next step is for Judge David Lee to call a hearing. Visit Education NC for the Leandro information.
Additionally, Brad Wilson, former CEO of Blue Cross Blue Shield NC, who chaired the Governor’s Commission on Access to Sound, Basic Education, will be a guest speaker at the Legislative Action Subcommittee meeting on May 13, 2021. The meeting will be held via Zoom beginning at noon. Please email stephanies@getreadyguilford.org if you would like to attend.
CSSP white paper offers an anti-racist blueprint
The Center for the Study of Social Policy (CSSP) has released a white paper and webinar supporting the first 1,000 days of a child’s life. The focus is on implementing strategies that address systemic and institutional racism.
Watch the webinar
Download the report PDF
Parent and Family Leadership
Register for the “Parent and Family Leadership: Transforming the System” webinar on Thursday, April 29, 2021, at 3-4:00 p.m. You will learn about different approaches to embedding parent and family leadership into PN-3 system change work to inform organizations that are active locally or nationally. Different approaches and concrete strategies from Children’s National Hospital and Strive Together’s Co-development of Solutions fellowship will be shared. Click here to participate.
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