After Kidonomics - Taking the Work Forward in Wake
The 2018 Emerging Issues Forum, Kidonomics: Investing Early in Our Future, convened national experts and local stakeholders around how critical early investments are for desired workforce, economic, and education outcomes. Leaders like Jim Hansen, Regional President of PNC Bank, laid out the disparity building between where we are now and where we have to get to: "67% of North Carolina jobs will require degrees beyond high school by 2020, but only 42% of NC citizens currently have that level of education."
The Blue Ribbon Commission (BRC), formed following Year 1 of Kidonomics to study local funding options and make policy recommendations, shared their key findings which included:
- Private and public capital play different - and complementary - roles in early childhood development.
- While local communities can and should invest in early childhood development, their capacity varies greatly across the state.
- For all investments in early childhood development, we should demand results based on outcomes, backed up by the rigorous use of data and evaluation. We must pay particular attention to closing gaps in development outcomes across groups in our state.
WCSS shares the belief that data and outcomes should guide our investments. As a system leader in Wake County, Executive Director Pam Dowdy spoke on a Kidonomics panel with other regional leaders about the local methods, impact, and connections needed to support early childhood. For the past two years, WCSS has requested and received increased funding at the county level, serving as a case study on BRC recommendations.
AT&T, PNC, Capitol Broadcasting, and the Raleigh, Cary, Knightdale, and Wake Forest Chambers were among the many that signed a pledge of support for the study's findings. Innovative funding solutions continue to be explored to advance access.
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