As Early Years enters its sixth decade of service to the children and families of our community and state, it is an appropriate time to reflect on Durham PreK services, how far they have come, and the work that lies ahead.

 

Perhaps there is no one better to do this than two stalwart supporters of early childhood care and education - Former Durham County Commissioners Brenda Howerton and Heidi Carter, both of whom left their roles in December 2024.

 

The Honorable Howerton served on the Board of Commissioners for 16 years, and the Honorable Carter for eight (Carter served as a member of the Durham Public Schools Board of Education for 12 years before becoming a commissioner). Both leave shining legacies of championing education, especially for being staunch proponents of dedicating resources to strengthen the quality of Durham PreK services and to greatly expand their accessibility to families.

 

We recently sat down with these inspirational leaders to discuss their passion for Durham PreK, and to gain insight regarding the directions and actions our community should take to continue strengthening its services.

 

As you leave office after many years of support for education, young children and families, please reflect upon the establishment of Durham PreK and your view of it as a transformative program for Durham.

 

Carter: I ran for commissioner because the Durham PreK program was getting off the ground, and I wanted to be sure that there was funding for it. That, along with the fact that the county provides essential services and funding that support all the things that help a child be successful in school, such as public housing, health, and workforce development.

 

I am really proud of Durham PreK. It’s a signature program that we have continued to fund. It’s not just a shiny object that fell by the wayside after a few years. And it’s being managed really well. (Early Years) has done a fantastic job of focusing on teacher quality, professional development, and early childhood instruction.

 

Howerton: When I was president of the North Carolina Association of County Commissioners, my initiative was that “all children thrive.” In order for children to thrive the parents have to have the resources. A place to sleep, food, good education and child care.

 

(Quality child care) has wrapped about my whole being for the last 16 years. If you’re supporting parents, education, and economic development -  all of that is so our children can have a future.

 

Child care became the number one issue in our community, and it still is. (Early Years) has done an incredible job working in Durham. With all the challenges and stressors facing our community, just ensuring that all the resources were there was important. My hat is off to them.

 

Durham PreK began with a goal to serve 75 percent of the 4-year-old census in high-quality public preschool. Since 2018, the number of locally funded seats has increased from 90 to 635. Local dollars are braided with state and federal funds to create seats in Durham for more than 1,700 4-year-olds, which is 42 percent of the 4-year-old census, representing a substantial investment. Can we afford to invest the money needed to reach the 75 percent goal?

 

Carter: “Can we afford not to?" is the real question. It is an expensive investment, but it’s a good value when you consider the benefits for children and families, and also the potential long-term benefits.

 

Absolutely we can afford it. It's the kind of thing that makes sense for tax dollars to support because there are widespread benefits for everyone, both those who will attend Durham PreK and receive a funded spot and for children who don’t need that who will be going to private pre-school because everyone will now arrive at kindergarten more prepared to learn.

 

If you believe the research - and I do - that long-term, individuals who spend time in high-quality preschool programs are involved in less crime, are healthier, and have the potential to earn more, these are all things we are investing in when we pay for public PreK.

 

Howerton: We cannot not invest in PreK programs. It is so important. If you think about our future, if we are not investing in our children so that they are strong in mind and body, what do we have by the time they get to be young adults? Where are they by the time they get to be the age to take care of us?

We’re not going to be here forever so what are we creating for our children’s future?

 

We’ve done great. Durham County is probably number one as far as the investment. I just hope we can continue to do better.

 

The bottom line is that it takes more resources. By embracing what it takes, and we know what it takes to foster learning and the development of our children and unlocking the potential of our children, we can do this. It starts when they’re little.

 

Experts around the country have said that cities and counties are taking the lead on preschool because federal and state efforts have slowed. With Durham facing tighter budgets, do you foresee slower growth in preschool investments?

 

Carter: I certainly hope not. I hope we’ll at least maintain what we’ve been able to do, and I have no reason to believe that the ethos on this new Board of County Commissioners is changing. And it has been sustained thus far. In my 20 years of seeing programs come and go this remains a Durham value. That children continue to go to pre-school and the Durham community invests in it.

 

Howerton: No, not at all. I think there is a commitment with Durham Public Schools. I think there is a commitment with new elected officials on the Board of Commissioners. And I think it will continue to improve. That is my hope.

 

Why has Durham PreK focused so much on Teachers’ Qualifications and Pay in preschool?

 

Carter: We want the best people teaching our children, and the reality is the pay rate for preschool teachers is shamefully inadequate, not even a living wage. We’re doing our best to offer the highest salaries to recruit and retain the competitive, the best, most talented teachers for our children.

 

Same thing with the investment in professional development  for teachers. All are important aspects of a high-quality program, and that's what we want to be about here in Durham.

 

Howerton: It’s the better teachers you get (with higher pay), the better quality of persons you have working with children. You want people to be paid well. I’m not saying the highest paid persons are always of the best quality, but it does help.

 

Money talks. The highest quality of persons who have paid a lot for their own education will require better compensation.

 

Durham PreK serves children with a mixed-delivery system where preschool services are located in different types of settings by a variety of providers—public schools, private schools, for-profit schools, community nonprofit centers, and faith-based organizations. Do you think this approach will continue as Durham Public Schools has pledged to expand preschool programs at all elementary schools over time?

 

Carter: I do hope this pledge comes to reality, but I don’t see that that will be at the exclusion of the other providers, such as home-based, or community care centers, because there’s a greater need than there are providers. A lot of families want programs in the elementary school, especially if it’s the school their children would attend K-5.

 

I always thought that having that situation where the public school system could help people get in the door, that families would attend it, have a great experience and want to continue attending the school.

 

Durham PreK recently won a grant to study the option for serving children in licensed family child care programs which would seat very small groups of children. Do you encourage Durham PreK to continue looking for new ways to serve children?

 

Howerton: Absolutely. There are all kinds of grants out here and funding, so yes. You look for grants where you can find them. There are monies that are left on the table if you don’t know they’re there and don’t have the time to pursue them.

The cost of child care is very high, right down to maintaining buildings. It’s a real dilemma when we need more child care facilities and the cost is going up so much. Where do you get the money from? I don’t think citizens mind raising taxes for it but how much can they be raised?

 

The original Preschool Task Force was asked to consider the needs of 3-year olds. How do they fit into Durham’s future plans?

 

Carter: I do hope the visionary leaders on our school board, maybe even the Durham City Council, will work together to think about that possibility. There certainly is a need. It seems like a lot to bite off all at once since we’re still building the 4-year-old programs. There might be some other funding stream opportunities, so they might be able to pursue that, too.

 

Howerton: You talk about a mother bringing a child into the world. That mother needs to be in a space where she is taken care of, where she has health issues handled, and has people around her who can help take care of the child. They aren’t taught to be moms. Most mothers in this society have to work, so child care is so important.

I think it all comes down to funding. And it could be by grants. It could be by someone who has a whole lot of money they just want to give away. Grants and tax dollars … how do we manage all of that? The foundation is always the key to any society. What are you building on this foundation?

 

Going into the 2024 election, child care was on the minds of parents, particularly mothers. In a national poll, 74 percent of voters said they wanted to see increased federal funding for child care, including 61 percent of Republicans, 74 percent of independents and 86 percent of Democrats.

As a local leader, do you hope that the preschool initiative will “grow up” to the state or federal level?

 

Carter: Already I wish the state was providing more funding for preschool programs than they are. It’s a typical challenge that when the state reneges on some of its responsibilities we have to step up locally.

I am certainly worried about the funding cliff we just fell off after COVID. When that ran out and the General Assembly didn’t backfill it, providers were closing because they couldn’t afford to stay open.

You almost have to get on a wait list before you’re pregnant. We need better child care systems in this country. I don’t know how we expect families to work and earn a living if they don’t have dependable child care. If we can’t figure it out at the state and national level we need to figure it out locally.

Howerton: Yes. Yes, because it really does put a real hardship on counties trying to fund everything. Counties have a lot to fund and it just puts a huge burden on citizens when you’re trying to do it all. I think it’s all up to the voters and what they are willing to stand for. If we need the five-star child care providers and to increase salaries and the quality of work I think there are enough people who are listening for this to happen. So I think it can happen.