‍Advocate to Fully Fund NC Pre-K to Serve ALL Qualifying Children.

NC Pre-K is a free, state-funded early childhood education program focused on school readiness for 4-year-olds and operated in public schools, private child care centers and Head Start centers. Current NC Pre-K funding serves less than half of the eligible children. NC lawmakers are proposing significant increases to NC Pre-K funding to cover all eligible children. More children are waitlisted than enrolled in NC Pre-K, highlighting a critical equity and readiness gap. In Forsyth County, 687 students are currently enrolled, while 745 applicants remain on the waitlist.

"Fewer than 45% of eligible 4-year-olds in Forsyth County are enrolled in NC Pre-K, leaving thousands without the early learning they need for kindergarten readiness and long-term mobility. Our goal is to serve at least 75%—equitably across our diverse community.

Smart Start of Forsyth County leads efforts to expand access through partnerships with local schools, Family Services, and 80+ early care providers. But limited state funding remains a major barrier. Local support can help close this gap. Investing in quality early childhood education strengthens the resiliency of our community and gives every child a fair start."

Dr. Louis Finney
CEO, Smart Start of Forsyth County

Act to Stabilize Local Child Care Centers with Reimbursements that Match the Cost of Care.

Centers operating in Guilford County receive a higher reimbursement rate than those in Forsyth County. We need to address those discrepancies as well as the rates themselves in order to have a more sustainable and equitable system.

‍Local child care centers face tremendous financial pressure to keep enrollment costs low while their operational expenses increase. Adding to that pressure are inequitable and insufficient child care subsidy reimbursements from the state for the hundreds of providers who enroll children through subsidy programs. NC lawmakers want to create a more consistent reimbursement funding structure to meet the centers’ actual cost of care.

"We need more child care resources in Forsyth County, and this legislation would go a long way in helping local providers keep their doors open. Not only are centers not being adequately reimbursed for the cost of care for students enrolled through state-funded programs, but there are sizable county-by-county differences in those reimbursement rates that discourage centers from opening in our community."

Katura Jackson
Executive Director, Child Care Resource Center

Advocate to Support Early Childhood Educators with Child Care Subsidies.

Early childhood educators are some of the lowest paid workers in our state, yet without them most families could not enter the workforce. NC lawmakers want to support our educators with a pilot program that would qualify them for subsidies so their own cost of child care is affordable and they remain a part of this vital workforce.

"Our center began self-funding child care scholarships in order to recruit and retain our teachers, and it’s proven to be very successful. Unfortunately, it’s extremely difficult for most centers to offer this type of benefit and still keep the cost of care affordable for their families—operating margins are simply too slim.  This proposed pilot program relieves the financial stress for the center while giving their teachers a vital benefit to stay in the child care workforce."

Mark Flowers
Administrator, Quality Education Institute, Inc.

Act to Protect Head Start & Early Head Start programs that serve 619 children, ages 0-5 yrs old, in Forsyth County.

In April 2025, the U.S. government closed 5 of the 12 regional offices across the country that support Head Start programs, that in turn disrupted funding for local Head Start centers. Further elimination of federal funding is under discussion.

"Head Start is one of the most cost-effective federal programs in our country. The research shows it, our experiences here in Forsyth County prove it, and the longstanding bipartisan support from Congress demonstrates it. Head Start improves school readiness, strengthens families, and contributes to our local and national economic success. It’s not just taking care of children so their parents can work—it’s building stronger communities and saving taxpayer dollars long-term. We need to support and strengthen this vital program. The investment in our children today builds the workforce, leaders, and strong families of tomorrow."

Vivien Stearns
Director of Child Development Division, Family Services of Forsyth County