[Durham INC] Durham County Celebrating Week of the Young Child

[Jones, Henry R.]

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NEWS RELEASE

For Immediate Release                                           Date: 04/04/23
Contact: Public Information Office                      Phone: (919) 560-0000/Fax: (919) 560-0020
E-mail: publicinformationoffice at dconc.gov<mailto:publicinformationoffice at dconc.gov>

Durham County Celebrating Week of the Young Child


Durham, N.C. - Durham County is joining communities across North Carolina and the country in celebrating the "Week of the Young Child" April 1-7, 2023. The annual event sponsored by the National Association for the Education of Young Children celebrates early learning, young children, their teachers, families, and communities.

"There are almost 25,000 young children under the age of 6 in Durham County," said Cate Elander, Durham County's Early Childhood Coordinator said. "Childcare is a critical part of our local infrastructure, contributing to the healthy development and learning for those young children and to the economic security of parents and caregivers who need access to childcare to be able to work, go to school, or work toward other goals."

Elander leads the County's efforts in improving coordination and alignment between the County and community partners to strengthen Durham's early childhood systems.

"It is up to us - as community leaders - to stand up and find solutions that give our children the essentials that they need to thrive," said Board of County Commissioners Chair Brenda Howerton. "Durham County is committed to doing the work necessary to bring together our state, federal and local partners to support policies and programs that help all children. This Week of the Young Child, I hope you will join us in uplifting and celebrating early learning and early childhood educators in our community who are doing this vital work."

Durham has 258 licensed childcare sites and over 6,000 children under 6 are enrolled; these sites employ over 1,000 people, including many early childhood educators. This Week of the Young Child, we are highlighting some of Durham County's investments in this important group - investments acknowledge and respond to the disparate impact that the COVID-19 pandemic has had on young children, their families, and on front-line workers in early childhood fields:


  *   Durham County invests more than $5 million a year in Durham PreK, Durham's universal pre-k initiative expanding access to high-quality, free and affordable early childhood education. Families with children that will be 4 by August 31st can apply today<http://www.durhamprek.org/dpk-application/>.
  *   As a part the American Rescue Plan Act<https://www.dconc.gov/county-departments/departments-a-e/american-rescue-plan-act>, Durham County is allocating over $4 million in funding to support families with young children in Durham. Projects funded will improve our support system for families and young children-increasing access to childcare, supporting childcare providers, and increasing access to social-emotional and maternal health supports.
  *   Durham County is investing in access to additional childcare through partnerships with Durham Tech, Kate's Korner, and Child Care Services Association - supporting the expansion of drop-in and full-time childcare options for families with young children in Durham.
  *   Durham County is also amplifying the voices and leadership of parents with young children in our community. We are investing in the ideas and solutions of people closest to the challenges in our early childhood systems through Grown in Durham. Learn more about this collective of parents, providers, and community leaders and their priorities on the Grown in Durham<https://bit.ly/GrowninDurham> website.


Locally, Durham's Partnership for Children has put together a set of resources<https://dpfc.net/week-of-the-young-child-2/> for families and educators to explore different areas of early learning at home and in the classroom. At the state level, DHHS has created the Raise NC<https://covid19.ncdhhs.gov/raisenc> campaign to promote investments in early care and education. Finally, a coalition of partners in NC has launched Child Care for NC: United for Change<https://childcarefornc.org/>, an effort to lift up the voices of everyone impacted by inadequate and inequitable childcare funding in our state.

For more information on Durham County's investments and opportunities supporting families with young children in Durham., contact Elander at celander at dconc.gov<mailto:celander at dconc.gov>.

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