Governor Stein Proclaims Month of the Young Child and Week of the Young Child

Month Of The Young Child

And

Week Of The Young Child

2026

By The Governor Of The State Of North Carolina

A Proclamation

Whereas, the first years of a child’s life encompass the period of the most rapid brain development and lay the foundation for all future learning; and 

Whereas, children’s cognitive, physical, social, emotional, language, and literacy development are built through positive interactions with adults, peers, and their environment; and 

Whereas, 67 percent of children in our state have all available parents in the workforce and 26 percent of North Carolina parents with children age 5 and younger have left the workforce because they could not find affordable child care; and 

Whereas, participation in high-quality early childhood education saves taxpayer dollars, makes working families more economically secure, and prepares children to succeed in school, earn higher wages, and live healthier lives; and 

Whereas, high-quality early childhood education depends on well-trained early childhood teachers who partner with families to ensure that young children have the early experiences they need for a strong foundation; and 

Whereas, the average wage for child care providers, who are skilled and valuable front-line professionals, is less than $15 per hour, with Black and Latina child care workers making even less; and 

Whereas, many early childhood educators leave their positions each year because they need to earn a family-sustaining wage commensurate with the required education and skills they bring to the complex and valuable work they do; and 

Whereas, more than 80 percent of North Carolina voters say the lack of child care is a problem that will not solve itself and that improving quality and making child care more affordable is a good use of taxpayer money;

Now, Therefore, I, Josh Stein, Governor of the State of North Carolina, do hereby proclaim April 2026 as “Month Of The Young Child” and April 11 – 17, 2026, as “Week Of The Young Child” in North Carolina and commend the observances to all residents.

In Witness Whereof, I have hereunto set my hand and affixed the Great Seal of the State of North Carolina at the Capitol in Raleigh this seventeenth day of March in the year of our Lord two thousand and twenty-sixth and of the Independence of the United States of America the two hundred and fiftieth.