CityHealth Awards Durham with Gold Medal for the Second Year in a Row for its work toward inclusive Early Childhood Education 

Durham, N.C., December, 2023: CityHealth awarded Durham a gold medal in the area of  High-Quality, Accessible Pre-K for the investments made to adopt policies that improve access to pre-kindergarten and early childhood education within the city. 

CityHealth annually rates high-quality, accessible pre-k policies in cities with criteria that set the “gold standard” in each policy area. These criteria were developed with input from national experts, are backed by evidence and work to reduce or remove systemic barriers to health equity. Medals are awarded in areas that meet the elements necessary for the best quality policy (gold), a good quality policy (silver) and a passable quality policy (bronze). Areas with no policy or that do not meet the minimum threshold for a bronze medal, receive no medal. 

Decades of research on pre-k have shown that high-quality programs for young children provide highly effective interventions with lasting benefits. The positive effects of pre-k include significant reductions in the achievement gap and learning deficits that many children face when entering kindergarten, with sustained growth throughout their educational experience. 

Durham PreK is founded on the belief of high-quality programming. We are proud to uphold all of the quality indicators assessed by CityHealth such as highly qualified teaching staff, 9:1 teacher child ratio, professional development opportunities for teachers and administrators, and implementation of research-based curriculum. 

Early childhood education is an essential step to accessing real opportunities later in life, from successfully graduating high school to staying healthy. It also provides parents with a safe place for kids to learn, play, and grow. Being recognized by CityHealth is a testament to Durham’s commitment to adopting policies that ensure our children are nurtured and begin with a strong educational foundation.

CityHealth’s research closely examines whether America’s 75 largest cities and a few key smaller cities have 12 key policies that experts say help residents lead healthier lives and make communities thrive. Durham earned a gold medal in pre-k quality, demonstrating that they understand policy innovation as an asset to improve the quality of education and life for young children in the city.

Child Care Services Association

Founded in 1974, the mission of Child Care Services Association (CCSA) is to lead efforts to strengthen accessible and affordable quality early care and education by providing supports for families, communities and the workforce. To that end, CCSA provides free child care referral services to families, financial assistance to low-income families seeking child care and professional development and technical assistance to child care programs. Through spoonFULL, CCSA also provides nutritious meals to children at child care centers, where they may eat 50-100 percent of their meals. Throughout North Carolina, educational scholarships from CCSA’s T.E.A.C.H. Early Childhood® Scholarship Program give child care professionals the means to obtain a debt-free education, while CCSA’s Child Care WAGE$® and Infant-Toddler Educator AWARD$® programs supplement their meager salary. CCSA also licenses T.E.A.C.H. and WAGE$ across the U.S. through the T.E.A.C.H. Early Childhood® National Center at CCSA and conducts early childhood systems and homelessness research and policy development statewide and nationally. For more information, visit childcareservices.org.

CityHealth

An initiative of the de Beaumont Foundation and Kaiser Permanente, CityHealth works to advance a package of proven policy solutions that will help millions of people live longer, better lives in vibrant, prosperous communities. CityHealth regularly evaluates cities on the number and strength of their policies. Find out more at cityhealth.org.