The North Carolina Senate has passed a budget that spells disaster for the state’s nationally-acclaimed early childhood programs.

Despite the state’s $3 billion budget shortfall, cutting funding to More at Four and Smart Start programs, as well as child care subsidy and other programs is a monumentally bad idea.

Yes, the state is suffering financially and the budget must be tightened. But not at the expense of our children.

The Senate’s budget cuts 25 percent of early childhood funding – 25 percent! That’s cutting approximately $100 million of our state’s investment in children. And that is unconscionable.

Reducing funding may save the state money, but it also will have serious ramifications reaching far beyond the budget year. It has been proven repeatedly that a successful start for children makes a lifelong difference in their lives – and ours. The funding cuts will have an impact on children, families and our entire economy for years.

Numerous studies have proven that a child who begins school behind will likely stay behind throughout elementary, middle and high school and, in fact, in life. Successful early childhood education translates into a higher income, higher level of education, greater home ownership and a lower incidence of criminal involvement. In essence, a greater level of success.

At-risk children served by the state’s early childhood programs frequently are from families where the parents were also at-risk children. We have to stop the proliferation of at-risk children, and cutting funding to early childhood initiatives certainly isn’t the way to stop the cycle.

A child can be at-risk because his or her parents have a low education, because they don’t speak English or because they don’t have the time to help the child with reading or other basic skills. And those are just a few of the indicators. Income can be a factor, but it isn’t the only factor.

Locally, our non-profit Richmond County Partnership for Children receives approximately $1 million a year to provide a myriad of services for at-risk children birth to age 5. These include:

Medical and dental care – a child with pain cannot concentrate in school and will quickly fall behind.

Child care subsidy so parents can work – a higher income provides a higher quality of life for the entire family.

Continuing education for child care teachers – the stronger a teacher’s education, the better the education children receive.

Funding to improve facilities and educational supplies – the more high-level learning or activity centers in a facility, the more productive skills the children learn.

More at Four funding for at-risk children.

Programming for exceptional children.

Cutting these and other early childhood programs by 25 percent is a travesty.

Children birth to age 5 may make up just 7.5 percent of the Richmond County population today, but they make up 100 percent of our future. Early childhood education dictates not only the child’s future, but also the state’s future.

We cannot afford to jeopardize either future.

The Senate's budget now goes to the House for discussion and amendment.

Martha Vance Brown

Executive Director, Richmond County Partnership for Children