Welcome to our Summer 2013 issue of The Compass. As the new director of the Division of Child Development and Early Education (DCDEE), I'll start by introducing myself. My career in North Carolina state government began at the Division of Child Development nineteen years ago. My first responsibilities with the Division were to provide data and budgetary support for initiatives that were part of some of the first Smart Start activities. It has been exciting to be part of the DCDEE team as North Carolina's early care and education system has been built into the national leader that it is today. During my career at DCDEE I have served as the Division's Budget Officer, Chief of Administration and Division Director. Most recently I served in the role of Deputy Director in the DHHS Division of Budget and Analysis.
Since April I have been working to quickly get up to speed on the issues, challenges and opportunities that face the early care and education system in this state. DCDEE has some new responsibilities since I was last here - most notably, our oversight of NC Pre-K and Race to the Top activities. This agency has a significant impact on providing critical services to families and early education opportunities for children. It is an honor to be a part of that mission. Our partnerships with you inform our work and I look forward to hearing from you.
Meanwhile, I'd like to share a few updates on issues impacting DCDEE and many of you:
2013 Legislative Session
Nearing the end of the 2013 legislative session, we're waiting as the Conference Committee negotiates differences between the Senate and House budget proposals. The most significant issue impacting DCDEE in these budgets are the differences in proposed funding for NC Pre-K. The Senate version proposes realignment of NC Pre-K funding to support additional funding for subsidized child care slots. The House version proposes expansion of funding for NC Pre-K to support permanent funding for an additional 5,000 NC Pre-K slots.
Race to the Top-Early Learning Challenge Grant
The Governor's Office recently named Lucy Roberts as the new Project Director for the Race to the Top-Early Learning Challenge (RttT-ELC) grant and Director of the NC Early Childhood Advisory Council. The Governor's Office also designated DCDEE as the new administrative home for the overall $69.9M RttT-ELC grant, in addition to the various RttT-ELC funded projects that have been underway here at DCDEE since last year. We are very pleased to assume this role and to welcome new staff to the office. We are also pleased to continue to partner with the other participating agencies in the RttT-ELC grant, including the Division of Public Health, the North Carolina Partnership for Children, the Department of Public Instruction, and our contractors.
I hope you'll read through this issue of The Compass. Learn how children gain skills for life-long learning. Find critically important reminders in "Be On The Safe Side" to help keep children safe from choking, burns, drowning and hot cars. Read about a research study that gives family child care home providers keys to healthy eating and lifestyles, along with business tips. Learn how one of the Race to the Top-Early Learning Challenge projects helps licensed child care providers work effectively with families. Discover what our community college Early Childhood Programs are doing to provide excellent teacher preparation.