DURHAM (August 21, 2019) – To fix North Carolina’s leaky education pipeline, we need to start at the beginning: Pre-kindergarten.

“It lays the foundation for third-grade reading proficiency,” Jim Hansen, PNC Bank’s Regional President for Eastern North Carolina, told the NC Chamber’s Education & Workforce Conference yesterday.

Hansen is part of a group of executives that includes Jim Goodnight of SAS and Jim Whitehurst of Red Hat who have challenged state officials to enroll 75% of eligible 4-year-olds in NC Pre-K.

Currently, he said, North Carolina has 60,000 children eligible for NC Pre-K, but 30,000 still aren’t served.

The benefits are clear: A Duke University study of 1.3 million children found that those who had Pre-K had higher test scores in both reading and math, there were fewer children placed in special education or held back a grade, and the benefits lasted at least through eighth grade.

“There was not a fadeout,” Hansen said.

Yet as the state expanded funds for NC Pre-K in recent years, 44 counties declined expansion funds in 2017 and 34 counties declined expansion in 2018. Ten counties with 3,500 eligible children have turned down funds for three straight years, he said.

Some found the county’s 40% share of the cost too much – the state’s reimbursement rate hasn’t changed since 2012. Others had trouble finding qualified teachers or facilities, Hansen said. 

Others found transportation a challenge – a school bus can pick up a kindergartener but not a 4-year-old, for example.

A bill passed by state legislators this year and signed by the governor will require a county-by-county survey to assess the obstacles in each county as a guide to modify state funding, Hansen said.

VANCE COUNTY SCHOOLS Superintendent Dr. Anthony Jackson offered a case study of his county. He started by quoting his father. 

“‘It is easier to build a strong child than it is to fix a broken man,’” he said. “This means you have to invest.”

Vance County is not yet enrolling 50% of its eligible 4-year-olds, Jackson said. But the schools have shifted federal dollars previously used for remediation to supply more Pre-K space for 4-year-olds and even created a four-week summer program for migrant 3- and 4-year-olds.

“Why should they start their journey with a deficit?” Jackson asked.

“To talk about the attainment rate at the end of the day is meaningless unless we talk about where they start,” he said.

“It’s not a business imperative. It’s a moral imperative for our kids.”