Executive Summary: An Action Plan for Early Childhood Education

The research is clear: Early childhood experiences wire the brain for learning and lay the foundation for success that extends well into adulthood. This makes access to early care and education (ECE) programs for children from birth to age five critically important to the success of children in school and their ability to become productive members of society. The release of a study1 ranking Charlotte 50th of 50 cities in terms of economic mobility was a call to action for the Charlotte community, which has already begun to respond in two significant ways: 

• The Charlotte-Mecklenburg Opportunity Task Force was formed and after studying the issues, called for the community at large to “boldly embrace and rally around a vision of Charlotte-Mecklenburg as a community that cares about all our children and youth—regardless of income, race or zip code—and where all our children feel they belong, have big dreams, and find the opportunities to achieve those dreams.”
• The Task Force identified early care and education as its first determinant and called on the community to “make the necessary investments to ensure all children in Mecklenburg County from birth to age five have access to quality early care and education.”
• The Mecklenburg Board of County Commissioners (BOCC) adopted a resolution supporting early childhood education for all children birth to age five.