Our goal is to put quality childcare within reach for all North Carolina's families, whatever their income, background, or ethnicity.
According to the CandL Listening Session Data Reports completed in 2023, parents and providers define quality childcare as trust, affordability, and availability.
At Care and Learning (CandL), we believe early childhood education should reflect the real needs of the families it serves. Together with parents, caregivers, and educators, we are working to build a system that is accessible, trustworthy, affordable, and equitable.
CandL is a coalition of organizations across North Carolina—co-led by the NC Early Childhood Foundation (NCECF), Black Child Development Carolinas (BCDC), and Empowered Parents in Community (EPiC). Our work is rooted in the belief that every child deserves high-quality early education, and that early educators should be fairly paid and supported to thrive.
We’re not just imagining a better system—we’re building it.
CandL partnered with local organizations in 34 counties across the state to host listening sessions where childcare providers, teachers, and parents shared what they want the early care and learning system to look like. We are using the data from those listening sessions to create an action plan that CandL partners will advocate for in the state legislature and beyond. Find out more about who participated and what we learned:
CandL Listening Session Analysis (Full Data Report): Understanding barriers and facilitators to childcare, from the voices of parents and providers across 34 counties in North Carolina. By the LINK Group, in collaboration with CandL, May 2023.
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The Care and Learning (CandL) Coalition is fiscally sponsored by the North Carolina Early Childhood Foundation, a 501(c)3 public charity. If you are interested in financially supporting the Coalition’s work, please contact ncecf@buildthefoundation.org