NC Child

Congratulations to Carmello Gilliam, Jr. from our Youth Advocacy Council for being selected for the 2026 Session of the North Carolina Governor's School. From over 1,800 state-level nominees Carmello was selected for his excellence and passion for leadership. Congrats Carmello!

"One way the state could help increase stability and affordability is investing more funding into the child care subsidy program" ednc.org/3-11-2026-stat…

We are proud to partner with @NCIOM to host the 2026 State of the Child Summit on April 16th in Raleigh. There will be speakers and breakouts on everything from early childhood education to food insecurity and youth mental health. Be sure to register: buff.ly/uv9pSuy

“Black history is a responsibility. If we’re being honest with ourselves, some of us love celebrating history more than we love the lessons learned from it,” Gilliam said. “We posted speeches, wear T-shirts, we quote names, but do we live the discipline?

Our Youth Advocacy Council member Carmello Gilliam Jr recently keynoted the Windsor/Bertie Chamber of Commerce Black History month event honoring seven Bertie High School academic achievers. dailyadvance.com/bertie/news/lo…

If you haven’t already, register today & join us and @NCChild for the 2026 State of the Child Summit on April 16! This year’s event will feature panels on foster care, food insecurity, technology and brain development, and more Get your tickets at buff.ly/uv9pSuy

"A new child care center is under construction at Fort Bragg. But long waitlists and limited infant care continue to strain military households across North Carolina." cityviewnc.com/stories/milita…

Great coverage from WTKR on how the child care crisis is impacting children, families, and businesses in the Outer Banks. wtkr.com/news/in-the-co…

From @EducationNC: "North Carolina has had a net loss of 367 licensed child care programs since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic. More than 12% of those losses occurred in the final quarter of 2025." ednc.org/north-carolina…

"For months, Outer Banks families have told News 3 it's not just housing challenges they're facing — it's access to child care, too" Our director of policy and research, Neil, shared how access and affordability has gotten worse across the state. wtkr.com/news/in-the-co…

"I texted my younger brother asking how tough it was to purchase tobacco products in North Carolina before his 21st birthday, and he replied that "it was extremely easy.""

From @axios & @maryhelenmoore: North Carolina law leaves door open to teen tobacco use "More than six years after the federal smoking age was raised to 21, North Carolina law still allows tobacco sales to people 18 and older." axios.com/local/raleigh/…

ICYMI: Last week, @NC_Governor Josh Stein announced the release of the North Carolina Task Force on Child Care and Early Education’s year-end report. More: commerce.nc.gov/news/press-rel…

"governments around the world are waking up to the fact that they have an obligation to protect kids "Just get it out of elementary school. Just don’t let kids be talking with chatbots when they’re little." nytimes.com/2026/01/16/pod…

Also special thank you to Rep @BrianTurnerNC and Asheville mayor @EstherManheimer for meeting with the council and providing words of advice. Our council loves meeting with elected officials state and local, sharing their stories, and advocating for the issues.

Our Youth Advocacy Council met in Asheville today to discuss the issues facing young people in our state especially the crisis of youth mental health. We are thankful to have such an inspiring group of young leaders representing their generation and the work of NC Child.

Thank you @ncchild ExCELNC @AVLChamber @LeonLevineFdn & others for making today’s convening possible!

“North Carolina’s children and families are counting on investment in child care and early education” ednc.org/1-15-2026-gov-…

“The child care world is often, unfortunately, just overlooked when it comes to disaster response” From @EducationNC ednc.org/lessons-learne…