All young children deserve the strongest possible start

Black father smiles at his young black daughter.

Early care and educational experiences create a foundation for success

Yet, year after year, data reveals that Black preschoolers are significantly more likely to be suspended or expelled than White preschoolers. This means Black children are far too likely to miss out on early childhood experiences that support healthy brain development during their critical early years, and help unlock their fullest potential.

Eight diverse kids in a park run towards camera smiling
Young black girl wearing overalls smiles at the camera with her arms crossed

Help us build a future where Black children and families have equitable opportunity to participate

The North Carolina Coalition for Inclusion, Not Expulsions is a group of advocates who have come together to build a movement to solve an urgent issue that affects all of our communities: eliminating early care and education suspensions, expulsions and exclusionary practices in North Carolina.

six diverse young children lay in the cross in a circle smiling at the camera
Young Black boy wearing a bow tie and cardigan smiles at the camera

Join the movement

Sign up for the newsletter.

Find resources

To solve this issue, the Coalition is pursuing bold policy and practice solutions that will lead to a thriving early childhood system:

  1. Where all children have equitable opportunities to participate in early care and education settings;
  2. Where parents and caregivers can rely on access to care to stay in their jobs, support their families and our state’s economy; and
  3. With a prepared, strong workforce.
Young black girl with braids smiles at the camera, showing her two paint covered hands

The Latest

six diverse young children lay in the cross in a circle smiling at the camera

Our Year in Review

A Big Year at The North Carolina Coalition for Inclusion, Not Expulsions   We had a big year this year! Here’s a recap of our top four accomplishments in 2024. 1. We launched our Strategic Action Plan. We developed our plan using state and national resources, plus insights from on-the-ground and academic experts from the…

Read More
Mother kneels down to adjust backpack straps on small child's backpack in front of a school

Summarizing our Strategic Plan

We at the North Carolina Coalition for Inclusion, Not Expulsions envision a North Carolina early care and education system where Black children and families have equitable opportunity to participate in early care and education settings. It’s a bold vision that requires a powerful strategic action plan to achieve.   How We Developed our Strategic Action…

Read More