'A call to action' New report delves into state of early childhood education in Western NC

ASHEVILLE, N.C. (WLOS) — A new report is delving into the availability, affordability and quality of early childhood education in the mountains.

The 67-page report, compiled by the Child Care Services Association and commissioned by Dogwood Health Trust, is titled "Early Care & Education in Western North Carolina: An Overview to Better Serve Young Children, Families and Programs."

It looks into early childhood education opportunities and challenges across the state's 18 westernmost counties, from Burke to Cherokee. The overarching research question that guided the study was: “What is the current status, across the 18 counties served by Dogwood, regarding 1) young children and their families, 2) characteristics of early care and education programs and 3) families’ process and young children’s enrollment in early care and education programs?"

"I hope it will be received as a call to action," said Buncombe County Commissioner Jasmine Beach-Ferrara, who is the chair of the county's Early Childhood and Development Committee. "I'm a parent of three young kids and the impact of early childhood education cannot be overstated."

The study found that the number of early childhood education programs in the region has actually decreased, going from 480 programs in February 2019 to 447 in February 2022.

"There are deserts where there aren't enough centers, teachers in the field don't get paid enough money and we have these compounding issues that make it way too hard for people to access the care that they are ready to sign up for, if only they can find it," Beach-Ferrara said. "It's very, very hard to have the workforce that's needed, to staff centers, and because they are not getting enough state and federal funding, it's very hard for these centers to meet the bottom line."

The study's findings also indicate that the costs of these programs are burdensome to many families, leaving many with no choice but to enroll in lower-quality programs.

In February 2022, the market rates in 5-star-rated centers across the region were more than $800 per month for children under three and about $700 per month for children three to five. This would represent an annual budget of $8,400 to $9,600 for one child, or half of the budget of a single parent living with one child at the poverty threshold. The rate was noticeably lower for 4-star centers, compared to 5-star centers.

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The costs are especially difficult to reconcile when you consider the study's finding that 22% of children under six in the region are living in families earning below the federal poverty level ($27,479 for a family of four). That percentage is likely higher, though, the study acknowledged. According to the National Center for Children in Poverty, a family would need nearly twice the threshold amount to be able to meet their needs.

However, that 22% is much lower compared to February 2020, which found that 33% of regional children at that time below the age of six lived in households with income below the federal poverty level. The study explained that decline suggests the positive impact pandemic policies have had. Many of those policies have since ended or been rolled back, though. Beach-Ferrara said one example would be the Child Tax Credit.

These are concerning, but not surprising findings to Beach-Ferrara, who says these issues have a ripple effect on the health of not just our communities, but even our economy.

"For so many families out there, it's the difference between being able to be part of the workforce and not, between being able to show up to work or not," Beach-Ferrara said.

She said her committee is working to address some of these challenges.

"We have just approved more than $3 million for a new project focused on pre-K expansion in Buncombe County. This comes on the heels of many years of very close study of specific strategies that we can invest in here in Buncombe County that can be a difference-maker," Beach-Ferrara said.

Buncombe Partnership for Children is leading this local effort to bolster NC Pre-K with the help of Beach-Ferrara and her committee.

"For those of us working in early childhood, we knew that it was a crisis before the pandemic," said Amy Barry, the executive director of Buncombe Partnership for Children. "So now we're at a whole new level of crisis because there aren't enough slots. We don't have the workforce so the crisis in the workforce is related to compensation."

While the county doesn't have enough slots for children of all ages, she said the fewest number of slots are for infants and toddlers.

Barry said they are grateful, though, that Buncombe County is seeing the need for more resources to be allocated toward this issue. She said the $3.2 million approved from the county will go toward expanding NC Pre-K availability and access.

"In year 1, the biggest strategy is to fully fund NC Pre-K, recognizing that childcare providers that are currently providers within the NC Pre-K system are really struggling financially," Barry said. "The state reimbursement rate for offering NC Pre-K does not cover the full cost of care."

The county funding will also go toward increasing teacher pay in the hopes that it'll better recognize the worth of those educators and help recruit more to the important field, Barry explained. She adds, the county's funding and efforts with the Buncombe Partnership for Children will go toward actually increasing the number of slots in the NC Pre-K program locally.

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Furthermore, to increase access and make it easier to apply, they've made it so that there's one application for Buncombe County parents.

In addition, Barry said the money will go toward breaking down barriers to access for some families, like potentially providing transportation services.

Barry said this study sends the message that investments are needed at all levels -- not just local -- to truly address this childcare and education crisis.

"Investments at the local, state and federal level are really critical to creating a system that's strong and high-quality and affordable," Barry said.

"The reality is that we need support at the local, state and federal level, at the corporate level and the philanthropic level to make a major generational investment in saying, 'We're putting our kids first,'" Beach-Ferrara concurred.

Barry suggested that even businesses can sponsor the one-time startup cost of a classroom. She is hoping more state funding is on the way, with the long-running lawsuit known as the Leandro litigation. The lawsuit was filed back in 1994 and argued that the state was not providing adequate resources to public education.

"That's being contested right now, but those recommendations include offering NC Pre-K year-round, full-day," Barry said. "They include an investment of funds for the workforce." She said it could mean local counties, like Buncombe County, can use their money for other things, while the state "can take responsibility for something that really is their responsibility."

You can read more on Leandro here.

In the meantime, Barry said there are some NC Pre-K slots open and they are encouraging families to apply.

"I wish I had the silver bullet for how families can immediately get into care, but that's why we're working so hard," Barry said.

The findings from the study will be presented in the Aug. 2 webinar hosted by Dogwood Health Trust. Anyone interested in supporting the vision of a stronger early childhood ecosystem is invited to attend and may register here.