Home » State Early Childhood Policy Landscapes » North Carolina Early Childhood Policy Landscape

North Carolina

North Carolina, like all states, has a unique early childhood policy landscape that is shaped by economics, demographics, political history, coalitions, and other factors that create a state-specific environment for policy advocacy.

State early childhood policy progress is dependent both on the state’s environment and the numerous efforts—by the organizations listed on this page, other organizations, parents, policymakers, practitioners, and more—who work both independently and collaboratively to achieve wins for young children.

2025 State Early Childhood Policy Environment and Progress

Early Childhood Landscape:

Research shows that family economic security is foundational to children’s overall wellbeing. Research also shows that widespread disparities in opportunity (especially by race) drive wide disparities in outcomes. States with policies that offer strong support to young children and their families are more likely to see 1) declining numbers of children in low-income households and 2) low racial disparity among those children.

Young Children in Low-Income Households: Declining

Approximately 42 percent (448,000) of the state’s children 0-8 live in households below 200 percent of the Federal Poverty Level (2022). This number represents a decrease from 46 percent (500,000) in 2017.¹

Racial Disparity Among Young Children Living in Low-Income Households: High

Black, Hispanic/Latino, and/or Native children aged 0-8 are significantly more likely to be living in households below 200 percent of the Federal Poverty Level than are Asian and non-Hispanic White children.²

(NOTE: Selecting for age 0-8, state, and race can yield small cell sizes that can make percentages less accurate. Bars marked with S indicate data with extremely small cell sizes, which is not displayed. Bars marked with C should be interpreted with caution. Though the cell sizes are larger, they still fall below a threshold of reliability.)

Advocacy Landscape:

State General Fund Appropriations: N/A

As of December 31, 2025, North Carolina lawmakers had not passed a budget for the fiscal 2026-2027 biennium.

Largest Revenue Sources (after federal transfers):⁴

- - Charges: $2,145 per capita
  - Individual Income Taxes: $1,672 per capita

North Carolina uses all major state and local taxes. Charges are public payments connected with a specific government service, such as tuition paid to a state university, payments to a public hospital, or highway tolls.

State Budget Rules:⁴

North Carolina uses a biennial budget. The legislature must pass a balanced budget and is prohibited from carrying a deficit over into the following year. State spending growth is limited by a budget rule based on personal income growth, but the legislature can override the rule with a simple majority vote. North Carolina limits authorized debt incurred by the state, but not debt service.

Permanent State Funding Stream Dedicated to Early Childhood:⁵Yes

Guidelines from the North Carolina legislature dictate a portion of lottery proceeds is spent on pre-k. In 2020, 11 percent of lottery revenue (almost $79 million) went to fund pre-k in the state.

Political Alignment:⁶Divided

During the legislative session, the state’s Senate and House were both Republican controlled. The state’s Governor was a Democrat.

Types of Common Ballot Measures Available:⁷One

- Legislature-Initiated Constitutional Amendments – A constitutional amendment that appears on a state’s ballot as a ballot measure because the state legislature in that state voted to put it before the voters.

Early Childhood Policy Advocacy Organizations Include:

Early Childhood Policy Advocacy Multi-State Initiatives Include:⁸

2025 Policy Progress:

Highlights from the state’s early childhood policy advocacy community include⁵:

One of North Carolina’s most significant policy wins this year was Executive Order No. 10, which established the Governor’s Task Force on Child Care and Early Education. This action signaled a statewide commitment to strengthening affordability, access, and workforce stability within the early childhood system. The Task Force brings together state agencies, policymakers, business leaders, and community partners to develop long-term solutions to stabilize the child care system in North Carolina. Executive Order 10 created a formal structure for coordinated problem-solving across sectors, elevating early childhood as both an economic priority and a workforce issue. The Task Force is now developing actionable strategies to improve subsidy funding, address supply shortages, and support recruitment and retention in the ECE workforce. While implementation is ongoing, the establishment of the Task Force represents a major step toward sustainable solutions for North Carolina’s child care system. Because of this work, both chambers included additional investment in Child Care Subsidies in their budgets.

Ongoing Grantee Areas of Advocacy:

The Alliance’s lead ally in North Carolina, NC Child, advances thoughtful policy solutions around early childhood education, child health and well-being, and family economic security. They do this through conducting and analyzing evidence-based research and data, collaborating with leaders at the North Carolina General Assembly, and engaging communities across North Carolina’s 100 counties.

NC Child is working to advance early childhood policies in several areas that align with the Alliance’s birth-through-eight policy framework:

Early Care and Education

Child Care

Child Care Workforce

Preschool and Pre-K

Child and
Maternal Health

Maternal Health

Infant & Child Health

Family
Supports

Early Childhood Infrastructure

Click here and here for more information on advocates’ policy agenda.

RECENT ADVOCACY SNAPSHOT:

Alliance for Early Success Early Childhood State Policy Advocacy

Four States Showcase the Power and Impact of Engaging Families and Valuing Their Stories

March 1, 2025

Statewide engagement is vital to building a strong early childhood infrastructure that is responsive to families’ diverse needs and where educators are recognized and supported. Advocates who want to see what this looks like in practice need look no further than North Carolina, Florida, Missouri, and Louisiana—where coalitions and organizations are transforming new statewide learning and relationships into tangible plans.

NOTES:

¹Kids Count Data Center, Annie E. Casey Foundation, Children Ages 0 to 8 Below 200 Percent Poverty, January, 2024.

²National Center for Children in Poverty, Children Ages 0 through 8 Below 200 Percent Poverty, October 2024, NCCP analysis of ACS 5-Year Estimates – Public Use Microdata Sample 2018-2022.

³National Association of State Budget Officers, Proposed and Enacted Budgets, FY 2026.

⁴Urban Institute, State Fiscal Briefs, April 2025.

⁵Alliance for Early Success, State Examples of Dedicated Funding Streams, 2025

⁶National Conference of State Legislatures, 2025 State & Legislative Partisan Composition, January 31, 2025.

⁷Ballotpedia, Ballot Measures by State, Kids Count Data Center, 2025.

⁸Alliance for Early Success, Multi-State Initiatives for Early Childhood Policy Advocacy, July, 2024.

⁹Alliance for Early Success, State-Wide Advocacy Highlights Survey, April-October, 2025.