NC Early Childhood Foundation

06/17/2026

Join the new Parent Advisory Council!

The NC council is designed to expand “meaningful family involvement in public education.” Applications are due by Sept. 15.

06/17/2026

Positive childhoods don't happen by chance -- they're built through strong families, supportive communities, and family-friendly workplaces.

Join Family Forward NC®, Positive Childhood Alliance North Carolina, Melissa Clepper-Faith, and Kelley Kilgore for a 30-minute conversation on how workplace policies such as paid leave can strengthen family financial stability, support economic mobility, and help create the conditions children need to thrive.

📅 June 23
🕛 Noon ET
🎟️ Register today and join the conversation: http://bit.ly/4vzdju5

06/09/2026

📚✨ Readers Are Built is officially on the move!

Over the past month, we’ve had the opportunity to introduce Readers Are Built to families, educators, early childhood professionals, and community partners across North Carolina. We had our “soft launch” at last month’s Smart Start Conference in Greensboro, and last week we joined Wake Up and Read at their Ready-to-Read Playdate at Raleigh’s Marbles Kids Museum.

The response has been incredible. People are embracing our simple but powerful message: readers are built every day, everywhere. Through talking, singing, playing, reading, and making screen time interactive, families can build literacy skills during the everyday moments they already share with their children.

We're excited to continue growing this movement and connecting families with practical, engaging tools that help children build a strong foundation for reading success.

Visit www.ReadersAreBuilt.org to explore resources, discover literacy-building activities, and learn how your organization can partner with us to help grow the next generation of readers.

06/05/2026

Screen time can be learning time. 📱✨

Readers Are Built helps families make smart, informed choices about educational videos and apps that support early literacy. A few minutes of high-quality, interactive screen time can be one more tool for building reading skills.

Join the movement: https://buff.ly/2v8hW9k

06/04/2026

Play is powerful learning. 🧸

When children pretend, explore, stack, sort, laugh, and imagine, they are building language, comprehension, and problem-solving skills that support reading success.

With Readers Are Built, learning to read can and should be fun.

Join the movement: https://buff.ly/2v8hW9k

06/04/2026

Across North Carolina, progress is happening.
Children are gaining stronger foundations. Families are finding greater support. Communities are working together to create lasting change.
But this momentum depends on people who believe in what’s possible.
As our midyear campaign continues, we invite you to help us keep building a stronger future for North Carolina’s children and families.
💚 Make an impact. Build what’s next.
👉 Donate today:https://buff.ly/2Voj5Qv

06/03/2026

Sing it out! 🎵

Songs, rhymes, clapping games, and repeated sounds help children hear the rhythms and patterns in language -- important building blocks for reading.
With Readers Are Built, even a silly song can become a literacy moment.

Join the movement: https://buff.ly/2v8hW9k

06/02/2026

Talk builds vocabulary. Talk builds connection. Talk builds readers. 💬

From the breakfast table to the back seat, simple conversations help young children learn new words, build understanding, and strengthen the skills that support reading later on.
With Readers Are Built, every conversation counts.

Join the movement: https://buff.ly/2v8hW9k

06/01/2026

Books matter -- and so do the everyday reading moments all around us. 📚

With Readers Are Built, families can help children grow early literacy skills through shared reading, storytelling, pointing out words, labeling objects, and making meaning together all day long.

Because readers are built one moment at a time.

We are especially grateful for the generous support of The Leon Levine Foundation for helping to bring Readers Are Built to life.

Join the movement: https://buff.ly/2v8hW9k

05/29/2026

📊 North Carolina has invested in training educators in the Science of Reading. Now the focus must shift to implementation.

The final brief in NCECF’s eight-part Science of Reading series highlights a key reality: meaningful literacy change happens when teachers are supported by strong systems, informed leadership, and ongoing collaboration. 📚

The brief calls for:
✔️ More instructional coaching
✔️ Better alignment across grade levels
✔️ Protected literacy blocks
✔️ Evidence-based curriculum guidance
✔️ Ongoing support for educators after LETRS training

Because helping children become strong readers takes more than a workshop — it takes a sustained commitment to implementation. ✨

📖 Read Brief 8: http://bit.ly/4trp57T