The Division of Child Development & Early Education in partnership with The Hunt Institute and Duke University’s Center for Child and Family Policy is proud to release the state’s newly updated Birth-Five Needs Assessment. You may recall that the state released its original needs assessment in February of 2020, just weeks before the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic.
A reassessment of the early care and education system, this update picks up where the original left off, sharing real-time data and addressing both the impact of COVID and the current needs of NC children, families and early childhood service providers. The 2022 update outlines recommendations for rebuilding a responsive early care and education system, organized around the four initial themes of the 2020 Assessment: 1) High-Quality Early Learning, 2) On Track for School Success, 3) Supportive and Supported Families, and 4) Social-Emotional Resilience. Leveraging findings from a literature review and engagement with over 200 ECE system partners – the assessment outlines recommendations to enhance strengths and address barriers and gaps of North Carolina early care and learning network – centering two new themes – the Early Childhood Workforce and ECE Systems-Level Impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic.
For more information on the 2022 Birth-Five Needs Assessment Update, a summary of findings and recommendations, please view the recorded webinar presented by The Hunt Institute and Duke University.
You may review the full report published both in English and Spanish available at the links below: