- Greetings, everyone.

Welcome, welcome.

Thank you for being here with us today for this presentation of Childcare 101: Understanding North Carolina's Early Childhood Network.

This webinar is especially for early childcare professionals.

I am Angela Wilson, and I have a co-presenter with me today, Celia Santos.

- Thank you, Angela, you're amazing, and I'm so grateful to be here.

Hi, everyone.

Before we begin, I want to acknowledge that this presentation is made possible through funding from the Division of Child Development and Early Education, DCDEE, and the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services, DHHS.

Thank you so much for joining us.

My name is Celia Santos, and I'm thrilled to host this workshop for educators who are eager to learn more about North Carolina's Early Childhood Education System.

Your passion and commitment are truly inspiring.

And together, we're making a lasting impact on the lives of young children.

With nearly 20 years of teaching Spanish and computers across various grade levels in New York and North Carolina, I have had the privilege of engaging with diverse student populations.

For over eight years, I've served as an education outreach trainer and digital innovator at PBS North Carolina, where I've leveraged my background as a native Spanish speaker from El Salvador to create content that celebrates and supports our diverse communities.

I'm deeply committed to making learning inclusive, enjoyable, and impactful.

As a proud mother of three, I recognize the importance of nurturing our minds and I'm excited to share valuable insights and resources with you to support the growth and development of children in your classrooms.

- Thank you so much, Celia.

And I, as I mentioned earlier, am Angela Wilson.

For about 2.5 decades now, I have worked with PBS NC, formerly UNC-TV, in the education outreach program as an outreach trainer, and what we do is go around the state, sharing with childcare providers, teachers, and families, how they can use PBS programs to promote literacy for their young children.

I also serve as a mentor evaluator with the University of North Carolina at Charlotte in their Early Educator Support program.

We are so delighted to have you with us this evening as we move along.

- This session is crafted to provide you with essential information and resources to enhance your understanding and practice in early childhood education.

Here's an overview of what we'll cover tonight.

Here's some topics, quality early childhood education.

We'll dive into the principles of high-quality early education and discuss effective implementation strategies.

You'll learn what to look for and how to ensure that the education provided meets the highest standards.

We'll look at the North Carolina's Early Childhood System Overview.

We'll gain insights into the structure and functioning of the early childhood education system in North Carolina.

We'll also talk about the funding opportunities and grants.

We'll learn about available funding opportunities and grants to support your programs and initiatives.

We'll also look at reporting structures in childcare, understand the reporting requirements and structures that affect childcare facilities.

We'll look at the Head Start program benefits, discover the advantages of this Head Start program, and how it supports early childhood education.

We'll also look at financial aspects and subsidies, examine financial aspects and subsidies available for early childhood programs and educators.

We'll look at staff qualifications and training, and learn about the qualifications and training required for staff in early childhood education.

Community resources and support.

Access valuable community resources and support networks to aid your educational effort.

These are objectives is to understand the childcare system and its key components, well, emphasize the importance of quality care and professional development.

And we'll also share with you resources and funding opportunities and also success stories to support educators and programs.

We look forward to providing you with valuable information and resources to enhance your professional practice and support the growth and development of the children you serve.

In this slide, we'll look at the network of funding partners and governance structures.

To support high-quality early childhood education, it's important to understand the elements that contribute to successful programs.

Below, we've outlined these elements that contribute to successful programs, focusing on funding sources, key partners, governance structures, and Early Childhood Environmental Rating System, the ECERS, E-C-E-R-S, the funding sources, state and federal grants.

These grants are essential for enhancing early childhood programs.

They provide funding for teacher training, curriculum development, facility upgrades, and increasing access for children in underserved communities.

To look at private foundations and community organizations, these entities provide additional financial support to address specific community needs, fund initiative programs, and fill gaps not covered by public funding.

Here are some key partners.

The North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services, NCDHHS, oversees early childhood programs across the state of North Carolina, ensuring they comply with regulatory standards and providing resources for continuous improvement.

Then we have local Smart Start partnerships.

They focus on enhancing early childhood education within local communities by providing tailored support and developmental resources.

Next, we have nonprofits like childcare services.

These organizations advocate for better childcare quality, provide resources and offer support to improve standard and expand access to quality care.

Here on the bottom, we have the governance structures.

What they are, they're licensing and regulatory bodies.

These bodies set and enforce standards to ensure quality and compliance in early childhood programs.

They conduct inspections and provide guidance to maintain safety and educational standards.

Also, we have the importance of compliance and quality assurance.

Adhering to established standards ensures programs delivered high-quality care and education, creating safe and effective learning environment.

Here, we have the star rating system, the Early Childhood Environmental Rating System, also known as ECERS.

They assess overall learning environment quality, providing a benchmark for improvement in classrooms and facilities.

Components.

We have space in furnishing, assesses the physical environment suitable for children's activities.

We have personal care routine.

They evaluate how routine support children's health and development.

Language and literacy looks at the environment supports for language development and literacy skills.

We have learning activities, reviews the variety and quality of learning activities that are available.

We also have interaction.

What does that mean?

They focus on the quality of interaction between children and caregivers in a classroom.

And lastly, we have the program structure, ensures organization and planning of the program meet children's developmental needs.

By understanding these elements, funding partnerships, governance, and rating systems, educators can better navigate resources and frameworks available to support early childhood education.

I'm gonna bring it back to Angela, who's gonna talk to us about more important information for today.

- Thank you so much, Celia, and thank you for all of the valuable information that you just shared with us.

I've always heard they said that a picture is worth a thousand words, and if that's so, then a video is just invaluable.

So what we are gonna do now is watch a little clip that pulls together a lot of the information that Celia just shared with us.

We're gonna take a look at the directory of family-friendly facilities financial assistance programs.

Let's take a look.

- [Narrator 1] The most important decisions you'll ever make as a parent, The Salvation Army has partnered with the North Carolina Division of Child Development and Early Education to provide this video, outlining the two primary steps associated with this process.

Step one, research child care centers.

At the homepage, select Search for Child Care from the top menu.

This dedicated search engine will let you select your city, county, zip code, and the age range of your child, birth through age 12.

Be sure to indicate Yes for centers participating in the subsidy program.

Please be aware you may also want to indicate the permit type star rating, as only licensed providers with ratings of three, four, or five stars are eligible to participate in the subsidy program.

Once you hit the Submit button, you'll get a list of facilities that could meet your needs.

Select a specific location to find more information, including the contact number in case you want to call the center with any specific questions.

Additional resources for selecting a center can be found within the dropdown menu under that same parent link.

If you need further assistance in selecting a center, you can contact Childcare Resource and Referral at the number and link shown on the screen.

Now, on to step two, call your DSS contact or daycare supervisor coordinator to apply for subsidy assistance.

To find your coordinator contact information, first select Parent from the top menu and choose county resource lookup from the dropdown menu, select your county, then select Social Services Daycare Supervisor Coordinator, and hit Search.

From there, you'll find the name and contact information you're looking for, and you're done.

Every child is special and unique and deserves the best start possible.

We hope this video and website will help you family find the right path forward in your child's future.

[gentle music] - Thank you so much, Celia, for sharing that with us.

Hopefully you gained some new information and just reflect on what you've heard.

And you'll want to maybe refer to that video at another time, we'll tell you at the end of our presentation just how you can pull that information up.

Okay, Celia, we can move along.

- Thank you so much, Angela.

As educators in North Carolina, it's our responsibility to provide a foundation that nurtures the growth and development of every child in our care.

In this slide, we'll discuss the elements that define high-quality early education environment, and how we can implement these standards in our classroom.

First, we'll start with a safe and nurturing environment.

This means providing both physical and emotional security, where children feel valued and supported.

When children feel safe, they are more likely to explore, learn, and grow with confidence.

Next, having well-trained and caring educators is crucial.

Our role as educator is an inspire, guide, and support each child's development.

This involves continuous learning and adaptation to meet the diverse needs of our students.

We have also culturally-sensitive curricula and activities.

Incorporating culturally-sensitive curricula and activities is another key element.

Recognizing and respecting the diverse backgrounds of our students helps us create inclusive learning environments that celebrate each child's unique identity and experiences.

What we also need is educators that care for the whole child.

We must also focus on caring for the whole child, addressing their emotional, social, cognitive, and physical development.

This holistic approach ensures that we support children in all areas of their growth, fostering well-rounded individuals.

We also see examples of developmentally appropriate practices.

Implementing these practices as essential to meeting each child's unique needs and stages of development.

This means adapting our teaching methods and activities to align with children's age, abilities, and interests, ensuring they're both challenging and achievable.

Lastly, we have resources and activities that are required.

Providing the necessary resources and activities is vital to support our educational goals.

Access to quality materials and engaging activity enriches learning experience and encourages exploration and discovery.

Together, by focusing on these elements, we can ensure a high-quality early education experience for every child in North Carolina.

I'm gonna bring it back to Angela who'll discuss Quality Rating & Improvement System, QRIS.

- Thank you so much again, Celia.

And yes, let's take a look at and talk a little bit about Quality Rating & Improvement System, QRIS.

We'll just do a little overview here.

Certainly, whenever we're talking about quality, there has to be some standard that is established, and this is what this program does.

It is a nationwide initiative to systematically assess, to improve, and to communicate the quality of care in early childhood and school age programs.

High-quality childcare and education is determined by measuring defined standards, attributes, features and characteristics of developmentally-appropriate childcare programs.

And it's always deeply rooted in close connections and relationships.

You will also find that these high-quality programs will pay attention to children's individual needs.

You'll see a lot of that.

We have a video to share with you that will give you some specifics and a little more detail, give you an opportunity to see in action what we are talking about.

We are gonna take a visual tour of Lucy Brock Child Development Laboratory Program at Appalachian State University.

Let's take a look.

- [Narrator 2] Here's to delicious fall favorites, [gentle music] made with Love right at home.

[upbeat music] - [Interviewer] So I am here with Andrea at the Lucy Brock Child Development Lab School.

Did I get that right?

- You did, that's right.

- [Interviewer] All right.

And Andrea's gonna show us around, show us where the kids are.

- Yeah, so welcome to Lucy Brock.

Let's go see where the learning is happening.

- [Interviewer] Now, when we come back, we can check out what's on the walls here, maybe find out a little bit about Lucy Brock.

But I'm really interested, these hallways must lead to children somewhere.

- Oh, yes.

There are 43 of them here who spend their days with us.

- [Interviewer] Now, how old are they?

- They are from six weeks to five-years-old.

- [Interviewer] Oh, my six-weeks-old?

- Six weeks.

Yes, yes.

So we get them when they're brand new, and they stay with us, most of them, until they start elementary school.

This is the preschool classroom.

- [Interviewer] Wow.

Look at this.

I wonder what these guys are up to.

What are you all up to here?

- [Andrea] Mia, will you tell us what you're working on?

- I'm working on potions.

- Working on potions.

[children murmuring] This is a school, children learn here.

There are teachers here who are degreed, who come and spend their days with children, but who are thinking very intentionally about the experiences that they offer the children.

There's a developmental goal for every opportunity that we provide the children, and we call those provocations.

They're activities that promote deep thinking, and that's even from babies to children at age five.

We are mixed grade, a mixed age group.

So we have 12 children in this classroom, three babies, and nine toddlers.

- [Interviewer] Wow.

- So when the babies get old enough to move around and crawl, they go back and forth.

One thing that's really exciting here is last year's babies or this year's caregivers.

So the babies who were here last year want to help take care of the babies, and we let 'em do that.

We recognize and we talk to our students that all learning happens in the context of a relationship.

So our teachers are very intentional about crafting those relationships with the children because the learning is more powerful and is more meaningful when they care about one another, and we want our students to see that.

- Can you shake, shake, shake?

[jar clacking] Oh, shaking.

- Here at Lucy Brock, we do an emergent curriculum, a project work.

So all the curriculum is based on what the children are interested in.

To find out what the children are interested in, our teachers do observations.

And then we write those observations into something we call documentation.

It's pedagogical documentation.

That's really a narrative that tells the story of the learning.

A lot of our students, by the time they get to their second practicum, they're also writing documentation with us.

So documentation is a big part of our curriculum.

We observe, we write the documentation.

We say, "I wonder what would happen if," and that builds on the next experience.

Here's our observation booth.

So the students come in, they just have a seat and look into the room in which they're observing.

This is a one-way mirror.

So we can see the children and teachers, but they can't see us.

We also have microphones in the room.

The rooms are miked.

So that students can catch conversations between teachers and children, but also conversations among the children, so they can collect good data in here.

[children murmuring] What are you thinking?

So I'm a product of Lucy Brock.

Back in the early '90s, I did my undergraduate here at Appalachian and came into Lucy Brock and did my lab work here.

This is where I learned to be a teacher.

So for me, this is so exciting to merge the past with the present and be able to support these young teachers, just they go out into the classrooms.

- [Interviewer] I think you have the best job at ASU.

- Yeah, I think I do.

I think I do.

Being inspired by Reggio Emilia, there are things that they believe that children deserve, and we believe that too.

Instead of a space being overtaken by Fisher-Price materials, we want children to have access to real and beautiful things because we think young children have a right to that.

So our space is just full of beautiful things.

The aesthetic development is very important to us because we feel like that this is where children begin to get an appreciation for beautiful things, and we don't want beautiful things to be off limits to children.

We are democratic to our very core here, and we recognize that children have needs and need to meet those needs, and we're gonna help them do that in a safe way.

So we're gonna give them opportunities.

If they want to push a truck down the hall and run as fast as they can, we're gonna give them an opportunity to do that safely.

To expend that energy in a positive way, that's worth learning about something.

That's okay.

So independence is really important to us.

Being able to help take care of the laundry, that's important.

That's a way that you're a part of this community and a skill that will be there that you need later on.

So one of the things that we feel is really important is that children have a right to good, high-quality food.

And so here at Lucy Brock, we serve two meals and one snack a day, but our fruit program is such that we don't open anything from a can.

All the food is fresh.

We have a cook on staff who creates a menu and makes really yummy things for us to eat.

We recognize, as a lab school, that we are, we sit in a place of privilege here, but we wanna make this so that our students and different organizations can come in and visit and take the things that they see here and do that with children in the classrooms that they're in.

But we really tell families, if you're interested in us, you need to know that you become a partner with us.

First of all, partner in your children's education, but also a partner in moving this field forward and helping teachers learn to teach in a way that's developmentally appropriate and based on the principles of child development.

[upbeat music] [upbeat music continues] - What a fantastic video.

I hope that you saw many examples of high-quality care that you can identify.

Just to touch on some of those key indicators, let's talk about some of what you saw and what you will want to include in your early childhood programs.

First of all, language-rich environments that promote strong communication skills.

You saw a lot of back and forth conversations between the adults and the children, and the children among themselves.

You'll also wanna make sure that you have age-appropriate curricula, and I will include also developmentally-appropriate curricula.

This is ensuring that children have curricula that's appropriate and suitable to their age.

Also, safe, stimulating settings.

Those settings that are secure for children, not only physically but also emotionally.

You saw that children felt like they belonged, and that's what you want to be sure and exemplify in your programs.

You want to provide warm, responsive child staff interactions.

That's how those strong connections and relationships are built.

Again, remember this video, and maybe share it with the others that are in your centers, other colleagues, so that we can continue to promote high-quality care in early childhood.

Understand and realize, remember that the QRIS, the Quality Rating & Improvement System, continues to make changes and adaptations to what they're doing so that they remain relevant to what's going on in early childhood.

So keep your ear open for any changes that may be coming in the near future.

As we move on, just want to touch on the North Carolina Foundations of Early Learning and Development.

Certainly, any program that is of high quality is aligning its practices to what will be found in the North Carolina Foundations, as we call it.

That's what some refer to as our standard course of study for preschool programs.

And what you'll find that document does is it describes the widely held expectations for knowledge and skills for most children that are in early childhood programs.

The other thing that is included in that document is a host of strategies that can be used to help children to grow and meet those developmental domains and those developmental goals.

You'll find that that program, I'm sorry, that document is divided into five domains that include approaches to play and learning, emotional and social development, health and physical development, language development and communication, and cognitive development.

The document is available online and I encourage you at some point to maybe share it with parents and the families that you work with, but certainly to use it in your programs as you are designing early childhood programs and activities for children to enjoy.

As we move along, Celia, we have a guest that's gonna share with us, a special guest.

This is Angie Roberson, who is the project director of our QRIS here in Guilford County.

That program is called the Education Quality Improvement & Professional Development, EQuIPD.

So I had an opportunity to sit down and talk with Angie just a bit, and we talked about what high quality looks like, not only from the standpoint of her professional role but also as a parent, and I really appreciated that she shared her perspective there.

So we'll take a quick look at that video and hear what she had to say about high-quality settings.

[no audio] - My name is Angie Roberson, and I'm the project director for EQuIPD.

EQuIPD stands for Education Quality Improvement & Professional Development.

We provide technical assistance to childcare programs in Guilford County.

I've been working in childcare for almost 30 years, and so have a real sense of what quality should look like for children and for families.

Some of the things that we look for in early childhood, for quality, we look for teachers interacting with children, down on the floor, having conversations, back and forth conversations.

You wanna hear laughter, you wanna hear children smiling, you wanna hear teachers smiling.

Hear and feel teachers smiling.

You know, it's gonna sound crazy, but you also want, you want it to smell good.

You want it to smell welcoming and inviting, those kinds of things.

You wanna see children having fun.

You wanna see that there are enough materials for children to interact with.

That there are a variety of materials are the kinds of things that you want to look for in quality childcare.

In our state of North Carolina, we have the five-star license, and so those are some of the things that you can look for too.

The license is going to tell you some additional information, so it'll be a one-star, two-star, three-star, or four-star, or five-star, so you can look for those kinds of things too.

Five-star, usually the higher star, higher quality program.

But I'll be honest with you, my son's 20, and he was in a three-star program as an infant, and that was the right place for him to be because of all those things that I said before.

It was a loving environment, wonderful place, teacher interacted with them.

It was fantastic.

He was also in a five-star center as he got older.

So it really is about going to the program, seeing how that feels for your family, seeing how the teacher feels for your family.

Those are the kind of things that you really wanna look for if you're looking for quality.

- Thank you so much.

I hope you take away the message that parents and families really want to find a center or setting that suits the needs of their children and their family.

So do what you can to make those connections for them.

All right, I'm handing it back over to Celia.

- Thank you so much, Angela, for sharing all that amazing information.

So in this section, we're gonna continue to look at the North Carolina's Early Childhood System.

The landscape includes public and private childcare centers, pre-kindergarten programs, and home-based childcare settings, all designed to cater to the diverse needs of young children, ensuring quality education, and fostering early development.

Here are some important key components.

We have public and private childcare centers.

They offer structured environments for educational activities and social interactions, laying the foundation for future learning.

We have pre-kindergarten programs, prepare children for the transition to kindergarten, focusing on essential developmental skills and early academic concepts.

We also have home-based childcare, family child-care homes provide a nurturing, regulated home environment, meeting safety and education standards.

The importance for educators and childcare professionals.

Understanding the intricacies of North Carolina's Early Childhood System is crucial.

It involves understanding regulations, familiarity with licensing and compliance with North Carolina Childcare Law ensures providers meet safety and quality education standards.

We have access in resources.

Professional development opportunities and support networks enhance teaching skills and help provide high-quality care and education.

To further assist in navigating these choices, as there are many, we recommend the guide to choosing a preschool or a childcare center on PBS Parents.

This resource offers valuable insights and tips for selecting the right childcare setting, helping both educators and parents make informed decision that best supports developmental needs of young children.

If you click on this link here, it'll take you directly to the website, where you can read all about choosing preschool childcare centers here in North Carolina.

By effectively navigating the system and utilizing the available resources available, educators can significantly contribute to the positive growth and development of young children, setting them in a path to lifelong learning and success.

Here we're gonna look at professional development opportunities.

A lot of you probably know about these, or some of these might be new to you.

We have a continuing education credits.

The importance that this is is credits are essential for maintaining certifications and staying current with best practices in early childhood education.

We also have the different types.

You can earn credits through various professional development activities.

We also have workshops, hands-on sessions that provide practical and knowledge, such as what we see here, seminars, focused discussions on specific topics, offering insights and strategies, and conferences, like large-scale events featuring multiple sessions, networking opportunities, and updates on industry trends.

So it's important to stay up to date on these.

We also have online courses, webinars.

They're flexible.

Their flexibility is for everyone.

Access high-quality trainings from anywhere, fitting it into your daily schedule.

We also have variety of these.

You can choose from a wide range of topics to meet your specific needs and interests.

Access opportunities.

North Carolina Institute for Child Development Professionals offers resources and support for career advancement and professional growth, and we have the local resource/referral agencies.

What they do is that they provide information about local training options and professional support services.

And lastly, why you would wanna take these is because you want to have career advancement benefits.

They enhance skills and knowledge, you gain new competencies and stay up to date with the latest practices in early childhood education.

Also, you have job satisfaction and performance, improved skills lead to better job performance and increased satisfaction in your role.

And lastly, we have higher pay/career growth.

Professional development can open doors to higher-paying positions and career advancement opportunities.

So you wanna take advantage of these.

Next, I'm gonna bring it back to Angela to discuss the North Carolina's Early Education System.

Back to you, Angela.

- Thank you so much again, Celia.

So yes, we are taking a look at just kind of navigating the system.

First of all, I want you to just be aware of and consider the North Carolina offers a variety of childcare formats for infants and toddlers.

These formats include licensed, private for-profit centers.

There are nonprofit centers.

They're also publicly-operated, home-based centers.

As well as Early Head Start.

Likewise, the three or four-year-olds can receive care in Three School, or NC Pre-K, Head Start, or even public settings.

They're just a number of different formats that families can select from.

The important thing to remember is that all licensed childcare settings are overseen by the Division of Child Development and Early Education.

So one of the things that we encourage families to do and help educators to understand is that making the care personal makes it relevant.

When you can connect with that family and find out just what it is that they offer, that's where the strength of the relationship lies.

You heard Angie talk about that with her young son being in a three-star program, but finding that what he needed, what their family needed was offered by that program.

So make it personal.

Learn to incorporate even some of our PBS programs to support what your offering your parents and families.

"Daniel Tiger" is one that we hear a lot about, and we really encourage you to share that with families as children are developing emotionally.

Also, the quality of care for children.

Consider the components of the five-star child rating system and what we look for there.

Emphasize high quality and those high standards of quality care.

That's why we are looking at the stars and looking at those increments of quality and how you're advancing in that.

And be sure that you're helping your staff even to advance in quality.

Highlight the importance of relationships, as we've talked about, and even the importance of developing 21st century skills.

Those skills include leadership, interdependence, collaboration, responsibility, all of those type things would be included in an high-quality early childhood program.

There is mixed care and mixed learning systems.

We've talked about some of that already, but again, just remembering that it is all over overseen by the Division of Child Development and Early Education.

As we move on to talk about and take a look at the license requirements.

So that there are, again, increments of quality that are based on how those centers are licensed also.

So you wanna compare and contrast those licensing requirements, and then the regulations that are available to home-based centers versus center-based care.

Discuss the thresholds and standards necessary for compliance.

Be able to share those things with families even so that they know if you have four or five stars, how you got those stars, and what levels of quality you had to meet to get those.

Remember also that there are religious programs that are available to families to choose from.

And that even those programs, if they choose to be licensed, they still are overseen by the division.

As we move along.

- Thank you, Angela.

On this slide, we'll explore how PBS Kids and Early Childcare Professional Toolkit can support your work and enhance the educational experience of the children you teach.

So here, we have a really great resource for you.

It's a comprehensive resource for families, but also for educators in North Carolina's Early Childhood Education System, providing guidance, resources, and activities to support high-quality education and foster optimal learning environments.

We talked a lot about these resources, but now you're gonna have them available in one document.

So when you click on the link to the toolkit, you'll be brought to an external document that you'll be able to download and share with your fellow educators or even with families.

This document provides a lot of tools and tips and a lot of the things that we discussed today in this session will be in the toolkit.

So you'll be able to watch the videos and go back to the different things that you can do, like lesson planning, and the benefit for families and educators is that they're ready to use lessons and activities already that you can access through PBS LearningMedia.

Or support for social emotional learning and academic skills, we use different things like PBS Kids.

So PBS Kids offers a wealth of versatile and reliable resources designed to engage young learners and support educators.

The programming and online tools are crafted to promote both fun and educational value, ensuring children are learning as they play and explore.

These resources are all only entertaining, but also research-based, ensuring they meet educational standards and effectively support child development.

The importance of the toolkit is that the Early Childcare Professionals Toolkit is an essential resource for educators in North Carolina.

It simplifies the process, implementing high-quality lessons, providing ready to use plans, activities, specifically tailored for early childhood education.

With this toolkit, you can save time on lesson planning and focus more on creating enriching learning environments for your students.

The resources from PBS Kids can be seamlessly integrated into your daily activities to support various learning objectives.

Whether you're focusing on literacy, numeracy, social emotional skills, or fostering curiosity, these tools and content available to meet your needs.

For instance, you can use "Daniel Tiger's Neighborhood" to teach children about regulating emotions and developmental, developing social skills.

With "Sesame Street," you can introduce contents that focus on literacy, numeracy, and essential life skills in an engaging way.

And we can't forget about "Curious George," provides materials that inspires curiosity and problem-solving through exploration and play.

I encourage you all to explore the toolkit and see how these resources can fit in your classrooms.

The toolkit offers a variety of materials and guidance to help you create optimal learning environments for your students.

You can access the toolkit through the link provided.

It's a valuable resource that I believe will make a significant difference in your teaching practice.

Incorporating PBS Kids resources and the toolkit into your teaching not only enhances the educational experience for children but also supports you as educators by providing high-quality, ready-to-use materials.

Thank you for your dedication to early childhood education and for joining.

I look forward to seeing you integrate these fantastic resources into your classrooms.

And we're going to look at the conclusion.

Angela?

- Yes, as we conclude this wonderful presentation, let's just look at some of the key points that we've touched on today.

First of all was the importance of high-quality early childhood education.

We also took a look at recent enhancements to QRIS, or what that program is all about, and how it really does look at the quality, rate the quality, assess, communicate what it does for the quality of early childhood programs.

We looked at the structure and support within North Carolina's Early Childhood System.

And we looked at the availability of funding and a little information about how to support for families that need a little assistance with funding.

We also took a look at PBS Kids resources and the valuable tools that are available to you, and they are free of cost.

We review the toolkit.

We talked a little bit about what's available to you there, and you're gonna really enjoy using that because there's some valuable, really valuable information and resources there.

And at the end here, we're going to share a link because we really wanna hear back from you.

We wanna get a little more information from you so that we can continue to provide this type of content that's supportive for you and your needs as you're working with children.

- Thank you.

As we wrap up, I'd like to once again thank the Division of Child Development and the Early Education, DCDEE, and the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services, DHHS, for their support in making this presentation possible.

Thank you all for joining us today for this session on navigating North Carolina's Early Childhood System.

We hope you find the information helpful and insightful.

Your dedication to understanding and improving early childhood education is truly commendable and essential for fostering the growth and development of young children in our communities.

Navigating the North Carolina Early Childhood Education System is a journey that requires collaboration, knowledge, and a commitment to excellence.

For educators, it involves embracing continuous learning and utilizing the tools and resources available to provide the highest quality education.

Together, we can ensure that every child in North Carolina has the opportunity to thrive in an environment that supports their growth, learning, and overall well-being.

As we move forward, let's continue to make the most of the resources, systems, and innovations that North Carolina offers in early childhood education.

Thank you once again for your time and commitment.

We wish you all the best in your efforts to provide high-quality care and education for young children.

We'd like for you to keep in touch.

Our email is education@pbsnc.org.

We welcome questions and comments, and hope to see you soon.

Goodbye and take care.

- Goodbye.

Thank you.

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