“We know that healthy children learn better, grow stronger and become more successful adults. Unfortunately, children in eastern North Carolina have traditionally suffered from disproportionately high rates of obesity, infant mortality, smoking and other health-related problems. Rather than closing the gap between eastern North Carolina and the rest of the state, the 2011-13 state budget will only make the disparity worse.

In an effort to improve the health and well-being of our children, federal, state and local governments have spent decades creating a broad infrastructure of health-related programs and services. While this infrastructure has never worked perfectly, it plays a crucial role in our continuing efforts to improve children’s health, particularly in areas suffering from a high concentration of poverty (in three eastern North Carolina counties, the childhood poverty rate tops 40% and in over a dozen others the rate exceeds 30%)…”

Read the rest of the article at NCPolicyWatch.com.

The congressional “super committee” in the coming months will cut trillions from government spending, and some members prefer to slash vital support to the nation’s children in order to protect tax cuts for the wealthy.

Sign this petition and tell Congress: As millions remain jobless, protect food aid for children!

As the economy continues to struggle and millions of Americans are still out of work, we need to make sure the next generation of American scientists, nurses, and teachers has the food they need at home to succeed.

Please let the committee members know that children should not go hungry while the wealthy enjoy tax breaks. Take action to protect food stamps and other programs like it.

MomsRising.org, an organization working to achieve economic security for all families, and Together NC, a collection of more than 115 non-profit organizations, service providers, and professional associations, set up lemonade stands across the state to raise money for children’s causes. Children, parents, and early childhood advocates raised money, one cup at a time, for kids’ programs like Smart Start while also raising awareness about the devastating cuts to these programs.

Recently, The North Carolina Partnership for Children, Inc., the organization that leads Smart Start, received a $268.76 donation from a lemonade stand fundraiser!

“North Carolina’s early childhood programs have been a model for other states, because they’ve gotten real results for our children,” said Beth Messersmith, state campaign director for MomsRising.org.“It simply doesn’t make sense to dismantle these programs when we’re trying to set our kids up for a positive future.”

Following the lemonade stands, parents and children delivered the money raised to the Office of State Controller to deposit in the NC General Fund.

The General Assembly’s budget made significant changes to NC Pre-K (formerly known as More at Four). Changes include a 20 percent cut in funding that reduces the availability of the program to at-risk children, a parent co-pay that could charge families up to ten percent of their income, and the transfer of the program from the Department of Public Instruction to the Department of Health and Human Services.

“Today marks an important day for early education in North Carolina,” said Dr. Olson Huff, Board Chair of The North Carolina Partnership for Children, Inc.  ”Thanks to Governor Perdue’s actions, that state’s youngest children can continue to benefit from early learning programs that we know improve academic performance.”

“Her decision is backed by years of research that shows learning begins at birth, well before children enter Kindergarten at age 5,” continues Huff. “It is further supported by studies proving that the state’s early learning programs, Smart Start and what was formerly More at Four, are moving education in the right direction, improving our children’s reading and math scores in elementary school.”

“We thank Governor Perdue for taking a strong stand today to ensure a brighter future for our youngest children, especially at-risk children,” says Huff. “Her actions will strengthen the entire education system, benefitting children, schools, and the future of North Carolina as a whole.”

“Put another way, each at-risk child under age 4 that is receiving services from Smart Start will be better prepared, physically and developmentally, to benefit from NCPK’s educationally based prekindergarten programs when they arrive at age 4,” Judge Manning wrote.

Smart Start is North Carolina’s public/private partnership that improves children’s early care and learning programs; provides parents with tools that support them in raising healthy, happy, successful children; and ensures that children have access to preventive health care.

“Today is truly extraordinary. For the first time ever, a court in the United States has said that a child’s ability to access his or her right to obtain a sound basic education begins at birth. Once again, North Carolina makes early learning history,” said Dr. Olson Huff, chair of the board of The North Carolina Partnership for Children, Inc., the organization that oversees Smart Start.

The ruling is part of the long-running Leandro case. That case established the standard that all children have the constitutional right to a sound basic education. In 2000, Judge Manning said that the state was obligated to provide pre-kindergarten education to “at risk” children. North Carolina began More at Four in response to the ruling. In June, the court held a hearing in which the Leandro plaintiffs challenged the budget cuts enacted by the legislature for the coming year, particularly the changes to More at Four.

Judge Manning emphasized the importance of early education throughout the ruling. “The bottom line . . . is that the State, using the combination of Smart Start and the More at Four Pre-Kindergarten Programs, have indeed selected pre-kindergarten combined with early childhood programs, as the means to ‘achieve constitutional compliance’ for at-risk prospective enrollees.”

 The ruling is online at http://bit.ly/mQxCoy.

In response to a recent news brief from the Civitas Institute, Dan Hudgins, Chair of Child Care Services Association’s Board, said the following:

“Andrew Henson of Civitas once again posts a piece full of false allegations and a video obviously edited to convince readers of his falsehoods. His anger is misdirected. State budget cuts to Smart Start funds, growing populations of vulnerable children, the unavailability of expected federal funds and lower attrition rates meant there was not enough money to continue to help all of the working families who needed it. How many times will Henson recycle the same inaccurate propaganda? And in an ironic twist, Henson and Civitas argue that Durham would be better served by awarding the funding to the local Department of Social Services (DSS). Yet, the Durham DSS returned to the state this year almost $600,000 of money that could have helped some of the 2,000 Durham children on their subsidy waiting list.”

The Durham Partnership for Children also issued a statement, outlining its process for awarding funding to community providers. Board Chair Angie Welsh concluding by saying:

“The Partnership stands on the principles of integrity, accountability, and transparency on critical matters that impact our young children and our community’s future.”

Download the Durham Partnership for Children statement.

Below is a review of some Child Fatality Task Force (CFTF Bills) Of Interest That Passed

Ban sale of K-2 and related substances, including bath salts (S7)
Ban Went Into Effect June 1
Passed by the legislature and signed by the Governor in late March, S7 bans substances that were available legally including a synthetic cannabinoid that produces a marijuana-like high (aka K-2 or Spice) and MDPV, a synthetic that produces both a cocaine-like high and hallucinations (aka bath salts). The ban went into effect June 1 and work has begun to get these dangerous substances off the shelves. CFTF and the Youth Advocacy Involvement office both worked to help inform store owners and others about the upcoming ban. S7: http://www.ncleg.net/gascripts/BillLookUp/BillLookUp.pl?Session=2011&BillID=s7&submitButton=Go
CFTF press release: http://www.ncleg.net/DocumentSites/Committees/NCCFTF/Reports%20and%20Data/Synthetic%20Drug%20Ban%20Goes%20Into%20Effect%20June%201%202011.pdf

Raise fine for speeding in a school zone (S49)
Increase to $250 Goes Into Effect August 25, 2011
Speeding just an extra 10 mph in a school zone greatly increases the chance of death for a student hit by a car. The chance of pedestrian death increases 9-fold (from 5% to 45%) with an increase in speed from 20 mph to 30 mph. Sen. Allran’s bill to make the fine for speeding in a school zone equal to that of speeding in a construction zone passed the House and Senate on April 28 and was signed by the Governor on May 3. Link: http://www.ncga.state.nc.us/gascripts/BillLookUp/BillLookUp.pl?Session=2011&BillID=s49&submitButton=Go
CFTF Fact Sheet: http://www.ncleg.net/DocumentSites/Committees/NCCFTF/in%20the%20spotlight/S49%20Raising%20Fine%20for%20Speeding%20in%20a%20School%20Zone.pdf

Enhance penalty for driving impaired with a child in the car (S241)
Goes into Effect December 1, 2011
Motor vehicle crashes are the leading non-health related cause of death for children and impaired driving is a factor in 15% – 20% of those deaths. National data show that most children who die in crashes where alcohol is involved are the passenger of the impaired driver. Additionally, impaired drivers are less likely to buckle-up their children safely. Sens. Purcell, Allran and Atwater sponsored this legislation to enhance the penalty for driving impaired with a child under age in the car. It was ratified on June 18th and applies to offenses on or after December 1, 2011. http://www.ncga.state.nc.us/gascripts/BillLookUp/BillLookUp.pl?Session=2011&BillID=s241

Support efforts of State Board of Education to decrease sports injuries.
The Gfeller-Waller Athletic Concussion Awareness Act
Becomes Effective with the 2011-2012 School Year (August 25 for most traditional calendar schools)
The Gfeller-Waller Athletic Concussion Awareness Act requires that coaches, other school personnel and parents of middle and high school athletes receive information about concussions and prohibits same-day return-to-play. Only once cleared for play by specified health providers may athletes later return to practice or play. Becomes effective in the upcoming (2011-2012) school year. Sponsors include Reps. Folwell, Cook, McGrady and Glazier. It passed the House and Senate on June 9 and was signed by the Governor on June 16. H792: http://www.ncleg.net/gascripts/BillLookUp/BillLookUp.pl?Session=2011%20%20&BillID=h792

Monitor proposed changes to the graduated driver licenses system
Changes to GDL System (S636)
Changes become effective October 1, 2011
Since North Carolina adopted graduated driver licensing, crashes are down 38% for 16-year-olds and 20% for 17-year-olds, among the best results of any state. Time spent driving and gaining experience are critical for teens learning to drive more safely. Changes in Modify Graduated Licensing Requirements (S636) include requiring that learning drivers keep a log of time and conditions driven. Additionally, a provisional license will be revoked if the licensee is charged with a variety of serious driving violations, such as excessive speeding. The Division of Motor Vehicles is tasked with evaluating the effectiveness of the provisions by February 1, 2014. Sen. Rouzer sponsored the bill and Rep. Daughtry took it up in the House.
S636 link: http://www.ncleg.net/gascripts/BillLookUp/BillLookUp.pl?Session=2011%20%20&BillID=s636

Bills of CFTF Interest Still In Play
Require phased-in replacement of traditional smoke alarms with tamper-resistant 10 year lithium battery smoke alarms in rental units. PASSED SENATE 50-0
In the past five years, 75 children and hundreds of adults in North Carolina have died in fires. National data show that the majority of fire deaths in homes occur in homes without a working smoking alarm, often because the battery is inoperable. Unlike with conventional battery alarms, the batteries in tamper-resistant lithium alarms cannot be easily removed nor can they be used in other household items. Senator Bingham filed legislation to require that landlords replace standard smoke alarms with smoke alarms with 10-year lithium batteries. Other sponsors include Senators Forrester, Hartsell, Rabon and Stevens. The bill (S354) also provides that rental units may still rely on combination smoke/CO units where appropriate and use standard battery back-ups with hard-wired systems. Additionally, replacement costs can come out the security deposit if the tenant destroys the alarm. It passed the Senate 50-0 on May 10th. Please see fact sheet on CFTF website (under legislative agenda) for additional details. S354 link: http://www.ncga.state.nc.us/gascripts/BillLookUp/BillLookUp.pl?Session=2011&BillID=s354

Since this bill passed one chamber, it is eligible to be considered in the short session (likely starting May 2012).

Raise the age at which a doctor’s prescription is required for youth to use tanning beds – S471
Current law requires that youth under age 13 have a written prescription from a doctor to use a tanning bed. The Youth Skin Cancer Prevention Act, sponsored by Senators Purcell, Mansfield, Forrester and Walters, seeks to raise the age to 18. This is important because girls are increasingly likely to use tanning beds as they get older. For example, compared to 14 year olds, 16 year olds are twice as likely to use tanning beds and 17 year olds are 3 times more likely. UV radiation in tanning can be 15 times as strong as the sun and even a single visit to a tanning salon can cause melanoma. Indeed, tanning increases a teen’s chance of getting melanoma by 75 percent. This bill passed the Senate Health Care Committee and was referred to Commerce. The issue was then incorporated into the Study Bill.
S471: http://www.ncga.state.nc.us/gascripts/BillLookUp/BillLookUp.pl?Session=2011&BillID=s471

Study Bill: http://www.ncga.state.nc.us/gascripts/BillLookUp/BillLookUp.pl?Session=2011&BillID=h773(see page 9)
The Study Bill directs the State Health Director to report to Health and Human Services Oversight Committee on issues including the impact of tanning beds and skin cancer, the effectiveness of regulation and other strategies to prevent adolescents from using tanning beds, and the economic impact of current and potential regulation of tanning beds. The Study Bill was not passed, but since a conference committee was appointed, it is eligible for consideration when the General Assembly comes back in July. Issues from study commissions may be considered during short session.

Track legislation on midwives and/or home births
Legislation seeks to establish a NC Council of Certified Professional Midwives which can set requirements for licensure, employee staff, set fees for licensure, determine fitness of applicants, conduct investigations and receive 3rd party payments. There are many other provisions as well. It was deemed appropriate for consideration by the Joint Legislative Committee on New Licensing Boards. It is assigned to Health and Human Services and then Finance in the House and Health in the Senate. H522 link: http://www.ncleg.net/gascripts/BillLookUp/BillLookUp.pl?Session=2011&BillID=H522

S662 link: http://www.ncleg.net/gascripts/BillLookUp/BillLookUp.pl?Session=2011%20%20&BillID=s662

This issue was deemed proper for consideration by the Legislative Committee on New Licensing Boards. Since there is a fiscal/budget impact, it is eligible for consideration in during the 2012 short session.

In ithe article, Ocschorn says, “Learning, Harkin reminds us, begins at birth. In the U.S. today, however, only a tiny fraction of the many billions spent on public education is invested at the early end of the spectrum. We are missing a prime opportunity, one that we cannot afford to waste.”

Read the full story at huffingtonpost.com.

Gov. Perdue speaking to early education professionals at the National Smart Start Conference in May.

Governor Perdue took a courageous stand this week when she vetoed a budget that will devastate many North Carolina families. Even though her veto was ultimately overridden, we are grateful to the governor for fighting for education, including education for our youngest children.

MomsRising asks that you join them in saying “thank you” to the Governor by sending an email. You can customize the form letter with your own feelings about the need for quality early education.