Report on Early Childhood Care and Education Challenges and Their Alignment with Sustainable Development Goals

Introduction: Early Learning as a Foundation for Sustainable Development

An analysis of stakeholder experiences in North Carolina’s early childhood care and education sector reveals significant challenges and opportunities directly impacting the achievement of several United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The lived experiences of educators, administrators, and advocates underscore that investment in the first five years of a child’s life is critical for progress on global development targets. Key SDGs implicated include:

• SDG 4: Quality Education – Ensuring inclusive and equitable quality education and promoting lifelong learning opportunities for all.
• SDG 8: Decent Work and Economic Growth – Promoting sustained, inclusive, and sustainable economic growth, full and productive employment, and decent work for all.
• SDG 10: Reduced Inequalities – Reducing inequality within and among countries.
• SDG 5: Gender Equality – Achieving gender equality and empowering all women and girls.
• SDG 3: Good Health and Well-being – Ensuring healthy lives and promoting well-being for all at all ages.
• SDG 17: Partnerships for the Goals – Strengthening the means of implementation and revitalizing the global partnership for sustainable development.

Analysis of Stakeholder Perspectives on SDG-Related Challenges

The following profiles illustrate specific challenges within the early care system and their connection to SDG targets.

1. Marsha Hargette: Advancing Inclusive Education (SDG 4, SDG 10)

   Marsha Hargette of the Frankie Lemmon School & Development Center highlights the systemic failure to adequately serve children with special needs, a direct challenge to achieving inclusive education goals.

   • Challenge: Children with disabilities are being “left behind at a rapid pace,” which contravenes the principles of SDG 10 (Reduced Inequalities).
   • Solution: Targeted investment and specialized support in the formative years can build a strong foundation, demonstrating a pathway to achieving SDG 4, Target 4.2, which calls for access to quality early childhood development, care, and pre-primary education for all children.

2. Davina Boldin-Woods: Addressing Workforce Deficits and Economic Viability (SDG 8, SDG 4)

   Davina Boldin-Woods, executive director at First Presbyterian Child Development Center, identifies low wages as the primary driver of staffing shortages, impacting both economic stability and educational quality.

   • Challenge: Low wages for early childhood teachers (under $14/hour) fail to meet the standard of SDG 8 (Decent Work) and create a workforce crisis that limits access to care.
   • Impact: The resulting childcare shortage has a “domino effect” on the broader economy, hindering overall economic growth.
   • Solution: State-level programs like TEACH scholarships and the Child Care WAGE$ Program are critical tools for professionalizing the workforce, aligning with SDG 4, Target 4.c, which aims to increase the supply of qualified teachers.

3. Sara Sampson: Leveraging Partnerships to Fill Funding Gaps (SDG 17)

   Sara Sampson of the Children and Youth Partnership for Dare County demonstrates the importance of multi-stakeholder collaboration to ensure the sustainability of early learning initiatives.

   • Challenge: Gaps between state funding and the growing needs of families threaten the provision of essential services.
   • Solution: The Smart Start network’s model of local public-private partnerships, including the establishment of endowment funds, exemplifies SDG 17 (Partnerships for the Goals) by mobilizing diverse resources to support local needs.

4. Dr. Ellie Erickson: Integrating Health and Education Systems (SDG 3, SDG 4)

   Dr. Ellie Erickson, a pediatrician with Duke Health, emphasizes the need for cross-sectoral collaboration to support holistic child development.

   • Challenge: Silos often exist between medical professionals and other child and family support systems.
   • Solution: Closing these gaps is essential, as policies that support families contribute directly to SDG 3 (Good Health and Well-being) and create the stable environment necessary for children to benefit from quality education (SDG 4).

5. Commander Heidi Koski: Workplace Support for Gender Equality and Decent Work (SDG 5, SDG 8)

   Commander Heidi Koski’s work to establish a military-operated child development center highlights how employer-supported childcare can advance key development goals.

   • Challenge: The lack of accessible, affordable childcare is a significant barrier to workforce participation, particularly for women, hindering progress on SDG 5 (Gender Equality).
   • Solution: The military’s model of providing on-site childcare serves as a powerful example of how institutional support can promote SDG 8 (Decent Work) by enabling parents to remain in the workforce.

Conclusion: Systemic Investment for Sustainable Futures

The experiences from North Carolina’s early care and learning landscape demonstrate that the sector’s challenges are inextricably linked to global sustainable development targets. Achieving a robust and equitable early childhood system requires a comprehensive approach that recognizes its foundational role in building a prosperous and fair society.

• Investment in the early childhood workforce is an investment in SDG 8 (Decent Work and Economic Growth).
• Ensuring access for all children, especially those with disabilities, is fundamental to SDG 4 (Quality Education) and SDG 10 (Reduced Inequalities).
• Supporting working families with accessible care is crucial for SDG 5 (Gender Equality).
• Collaborative models that bridge funding gaps and integrate services are necessary to fulfill the vision of SDG 17 (Partnerships for the Goals).

Analysis of Sustainable Development Goals in the Article

1. Which SDGs are addressed or connected to the issues highlighted in the article?

1. SDG 4: Quality Education

   • The article’s primary focus is on early childhood care and learning, which is central to SDG 4. It discusses the importance of these formative years for children’s development, the role of educators, and the need for accessible programs. The profile of Marsha Hargette specifically highlights the need for quality education for children with disabilities, emphasizing that they are “highly underserved.”

2. SDG 8: Decent Work and Economic Growth

   • The article directly addresses labor issues within the early childhood sector. Davina Boldin-Woods’ experience with staff shortages is attributed to low wages, with the article stating that “infant and toddler teachers typically earn less than $14 per hour.” This connects to the goal of achieving decent work and equal pay. The article also notes the broader economic impact, quoting Boldin-Woods: “this has a trickle-down, domino effect that will absolutely impact our economy.”

3. SDG 10: Reduced Inequalities

   • This goal is addressed through the focus on children with special needs. Marsha Hargette’s statement that these children “are being left behind at a rapid pace” points to a significant inequality in access to essential services. The work of the Frankie Lemmon School is presented as a way to “break through ceilings that have been placed on them,” directly aligning with the goal of promoting the social and economic inclusion of all, including persons with disabilities.

4. SDG 3: Good Health and Well-being

   • The article connects early childhood experiences to long-term health. It mentions that a child’s brain development is “primarily shaped by their experiences in their first 1,000 days.” Dr. Ellie Erickson’s role as a pediatrician highlights the link between medical professionals and family support systems, emphasizing that policies supporting children must also support families to ensure their well-being.

5. SDG 5: Gender Equality

   • While not the main focus, this goal is relevant through the discussion of workplace support for parents. Commander Heidi Koski’s story as a “working mom and military spouse” and the plan to build a new child development center touch upon the need for services that enable parents, particularly women who often bear a disproportionate share of caregiving responsibilities, to participate fully in the workforce.

6. SDG 17: Partnerships for the Goals

   • The article showcases the importance of partnerships in addressing funding gaps. The profile of Sara Sampson describes the Smart Start network as a system of “local public-private partnerships.” Her organization’s use of an endowment fund and reliance on “great donors and sponsors” exemplifies the multi-stakeholder collaboration needed to achieve sustainable development.

2. What specific targets under those SDGs can be identified based on the article’s content?

1. Target 4.2: Ensure access to quality early childhood development, care, and pre-primary education.

   • The entire article is built around this target. It profiles various stakeholders working to provide early care and learning, highlighting challenges like staff shortages and funding gaps that hinder universal access to these crucial services for young children.

2. Target 4.c: Substantially increase the supply of qualified teachers.

   • Davina Boldin-Woods’ struggle to staff seven classrooms due to a “staffing shortage” directly relates to this target. The mention of the TEACH scholarship, which supports teacher education, and the Child Care WAGE$ Program, which incentivizes retention, are presented as tools to build up the workforce and increase the supply of qualified early childhood educators.

3. Target 8.5: Achieve full and productive employment and decent work for all… and equal pay for work of equal value.

   • The article’s point that low wages (less than $14 per hour) are a primary cause of staff shortages speaks directly to the need for “decent work” and “equal pay for work of equal value” for the predominantly female early childhood workforce.

4. Target 10.2: Empower and promote the social, economic, and political inclusion of all, irrespective of… disability.

   • This target is identified in the section on the Frankie Lemmon School, which works to support “children with special needs” who are described as being “highly underserved.” The school’s mission is to provide the foundation these children need, promoting their inclusion and breaking down barriers.

5. Target 17.17: Encourage and promote effective public, public-private and civil society partnerships.

   • The description of the Smart Start network as “75 local public-private partnerships” that work with private donors and sponsors to “fill gaps between state funding, private resources, and the growing needs of families” is a direct example of this target in action.

3. Are there any indicators mentioned or implied in the article that can be used to measure progress towards the identified targets?

1. Teacher Wages

   • The article explicitly states that “Infant and toddler teachers typically earn less than $14 per hour in our state.” This figure serves as a direct, measurable indicator for Target 8.5 (Decent Work and Equal Pay). Progress could be measured by tracking the average hourly wage of these educators over time.

2. Staffing and Classroom Availability

   • The anecdote of having “seven classrooms ready for infants and toddlers, but no one to staff them” implies an indicator. The ratio of staffed to unstaffed classrooms or the number of available versus filled child care slots in a region can be used to measure progress towards Target 4.2 (Access to Early Childhood Education) and Target 4.c (Supply of Qualified Teachers).

3. Participation in Teacher Support Programs

   • The mention of the TEACH scholarship and the Child Care WAGE$ Program implies that the number of participants in these programs is an indicator of efforts to improve teacher qualification and retention, which relates to Target 4.c.

4. Establishment of Childcare Facilities

   • The plan to break ground on a “new military-operated child development center (CDC) in 2026” is a concrete indicator of investment in childcare infrastructure. This can be used to measure progress in providing workplace support, relevant to SDG 5.

5. Number of Public-Private Partnerships

   • The article mentions the Smart Start network is made up of “75 local public-private partnerships.” This number serves as an indicator for Target 17.17, reflecting the scale of collaborative efforts to support early childhood development.

SDGs, Targets, and Indicators Table

Source: ednc.org