Announcing the Release of Durham County’s Early Childhood Action Plan

There are nearly 35,000 children from birth through age 8 in Durham County. We believe each and every child deserves to grow up in a community where they can THRIVE. Check out Durham’s shared goals and strategies to support Durham’s families with young children in Durham’s Early Childhood Action Plan.

We encourage you to…

Explore the Plan! The urgency of preventing adverse childhood and adverse community events is a key part of the Action Plan. Supporting stable, nurturing relationships between caregivers and young children relies on a multi-sectoral approach that address racism, oppression, and inequity. A few sets of recommendations to focus on related to supporting stable and nurturing relationships and reducing toxic stress for children and families are

1. Safe and Nurtured recommendations related to child and family social-emotional health, mental health and resilience, reimagining social services and child protective services to become more trauma-informed, anti-racist, and focused on prevention, and trauma-Informed, culturally affirming birth through 3rd grade classrooms. The full section with action steps can be found here.
2. Strengthening Durham's Early Childhood System recommendation including anti-racism and power sharing, supporting and strengthening our Early Childhood workforce, resource awareness and service navigation, data sharing, language justice, family friendly public spaces and enrichment, and family friendly workplaces. The full section with action steps can be found here.
3. Basic Needs recommendations including economic prosperity, housing, food security, transportation, and family essential supplies. The full section with action steps can be found here.

Get Involved! Visit our Durham ECAP website’s “Get Involved” page for more information on opportunities. There is a role for everyone to make Durham a better place for babies, toddlers, young children, and their families and caregivers.

Learn More! Visit our Durham ECAP website to learn more about the plan. We hope you also consider:

• Joining us for a community presentation about the Durham ECAP on Thursday, October 21st from 5:30-6:30pm in ENGLISH (register here) and Thursday, October 21st from 6:30-7:30pm in SPANISH (register here).
• Signing up for a 1:1 appointment or request a presentation to your organization or community group at this Calendly.

Together, we can put this plan into action. It is worth it for our children and for Durham’s future!