Gov. Cooper proclaims April as Month of the Young Child
In partnership with the North Carolina Governor’s Office, the Martin-Pitt Partnership for Children is excited to announce that Gov. Roy Cooper has proclaimed April as Month of the Young Child for the state of North Carolina.
“The Martin-Pitt Partnership for Children is dedicated to ensuring that every child in our community arrives for kindergarten ready for a life of success,” said Executive Director Lisa Mulligan. “This proclamation, distributed across the state, is recognition of the importance of the services that we provide to families, caregivers, and child care professionals of children birth to five in our communities.”
The proclamation, issued on March 15th, states that North Carolina is “committed to ensuring access to high quality, early childhood education opportunities and health services” and that “the North Carolina Early Childhood Advisory Council, the North Carolina Education Cabinet, the Department of Health and Human Services, the Department of Public Instruction, along with the North Carolina Partnership for Children and the North Carolina Association for the Education of Young Children, join together in recognizing and supporting the people and programs that are committed to providing high quality, early childhood education and services.”
One of 75 Smart Start-affiliated partnerships in North Carolina, the Martin-Pitt Partnership for Children is a non-profit organization that funds programs in early literacy, assistance finding child care services, parent and family support, and health care during the first 2,000 days of a child’s life — roughly the time between birth and when a child arrives for their first day of kindergarten.
The Partnership is celebrating Month of the Young Child by hosting its annual State of the Young Child luncheon on April 26th. In coordination with the National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC), the Partnership celebrates the Week of the Young Child each spring with an event that brings community organizations and leaders together to discuss the importance of funding early childhood education opportunities, and the impact that these opportunities have on the future of our communities.
“Children who do not receive a quality pre-kindergarten education are 25 percent more likely to drop out of high school,” said Mulligan, citing a statistic from Cecilia Elena Rouse’s presentation, ‘The Labor Market Consequences of an Inadequate Education’. “Over the course of their lives, each high school dropout is estimated to cost their community $260,000 in lost earnings, tax revenues, and productivity. By ensuring that our children have access to quality, affordable child care in their most formative years, we’re also ensuring that our communities continue to grow and prosper in the future.”
Those interested in attending the Partnership’s State of the Young Child luncheon may contact Community Outreach Director Amanda Parmelee at aparmelee@mppfc.org or call 252-758-8885. For additional information on the Martin-Pitt Partnership for Children and its programs, visit www.mppfc.org or call 252-758-8885.
The Martin-Pitt Partnership for Children is a Smart Start-affiliated 501(3)(c) non-profit that funds programs in early literacy, quality early child care and learning, assistance finding child care services, parent and family support, and health care in Martin and Pitt counties during the first 2,000 days of a child’s life.