Apply Now for Local Data Informed Strategic Planning Cohorts
The Hunt Institute, in partnership with the NC DHHS Division of Child Development and Early Education, is providing county-level early childhood leaders with the opportunity to learn how to use and interpret data to inform scalable and sustainable strategic plans. This work builds on the NC Early Childhood Action Plan, along with other local planning efforts, to provide local leaders with support to align state and local improvement efforts. This Request for Applications is for cross-sector, county-level human services leadership teams to receive support in identifying sustainable and scalable strategies to support community-based data-informed strategic planning. There are several opportunities to share information and answer questions:
March 21, 2022 @ 2:00pm: Register
March 24, 2022 @ 10:00am: Register
April 1, 2022 @ 12:00pm: Register
April 5, 2022 @ 10:00am: Register
Local team applications for Cohort 2 are due by Friday, April 8, 2022. Teams may apply here. Team selection will occur April 15th and the first meeting is scheduled for April 27th. The application for Cohort 3 is scheduled to be released in mid-April with a due date of May 13, 2022. Meetings will begin in June.
What does the Build Back Better (BBB) Act mean for Child Care Providers?
Check out this great Dec. 2021 BBB resource from NAEYC!
- This federal funding will ensure that states increase compensation and invest in the supply and quality of child care.
- Investments will support a child care system that includes family child care homes and child care centers.
- Universal preschool will also include a mixed-delivery system, with a distribution among eligible providers, including Head Start, schools, and both center-based and family child care.
Learn more about the Build Back Better Act and its impacts for the ECE field.
In addition, learn more specifics about Universal PreK in Build Back Better in this Congressional Research Service (CRS) report. CRS Report – UPK in BBB
Join the NC Worthy Wages Campaign for ECE!
“It is up to us to make sure policymakers recognize the value of the early childhood workforce and provide them with adequate pay and benefits. We need you to join us in this fight!“- Michele Rivest, Senior Campaign Director, NC Early Education Coalition
ECE WORKFORCE INDEX: NC’s Profile
The Center for the Study of Child Care Employment (CSCCE) released the 2020 Early Childhood Workforce Index, which provides a state-by-state look at policies and conditions affecting the early childhood workforce. Access NC’s state profile here.
NAEYC Releases Brief for the ECE field navigating through COVID
Navigating Relief: An Overview of the Help that May Be Available for Child Care Providers- Feb. 2021
2019 NC Child Care Workforce Study

The 2019 NC Child Care Workforce Study, led by Child Care Services Association (CCSA) with funding from the NC Division of Child Development and Early Education (DCDEE),was published in September 2020. Data were collected from programs in all 100 counties across the state. Find out more about the ECE Workforce in NC as well as comparisons from similar studies in previous years.