Prior to the Covid-19 pandemic, the Durham County Government commissioned a Preschool ‘Supply and Demand Study’. The study revealed that there are many children who do not have adequate access to childcare and are in childcare desserts (inadequate slots for childcare needed). The numbers told a compelling story of Durham’s need for more providers and quality programs that services families trying to rebuild, while working to be a contributor to the community.

Durham Technical Community College and Truth Education Foundation are partnering to provide free high-quality, part-time childcare services and after-school care on Main Campus by Kate’s Korner Educational Services.

In response to the alarming results of the first data collection on preschool discipline, federal and state policy-makers advocated for drastic measures to reduce, and eventually eliminate, exclusionary practices in early childhood settings. While well-intended, like many ECE policy changes, new expectations come with unmatched resources, which most heavily impacts the educators in the classroom.

Our model aims to target the root cause of such exclusionary practices - IMPLICIT BIAS. Our experience, along with a large body of research, supports this correlation. We will leverage the Anti-Bias Education framework to develop an innovative approach to in teacher preparation programs across a variety of settings.