 |
A documentary produced by the state Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) focused on solving North Carolina’s child care crisis is being screened at community events.
“Our state, like the rest of the country, is experiencing a child care crisis that hurts everyone — children, families, child care teachers and providers, businesses, and our economy,” said Summer Tonizzo of the DHHS communications office in an email to EdNC. “‘Take Care’ was created to tell the story of this crisis through the voices of North Carolinians and to show how it impacts all of us, how communities are trying to address the crisis, and what is at stake if we don’t create lasting solutions.”
EdNC attended recent screenings at a military child care summit in Fayetteville and a local Smart Start summit in Elizabeth City.
Two recent screenings
The North Carolina Department of Military and Veterans Affairs (NC DMVA) included a screening of “Take Care” as part of its North Carolina Military Community Childcare Summit, hosted by Fayetteville Technical Community College (FTCC) in January.
The summit included a presentation on the value of childcare by Scott Satterfield of the Wayne County Chamber of Commerce, an overview of North Carolina’s child care landscape by Toni King of the Division of Child Development and Early Education (DCDEE), and a deep dive into the military child care system by Heidi Welch from the Office of the Secretary of Defense.
These presentations provided attendees with the foundational knowledge about the child care crisis from a variety of contexts. The day culminated in the “Take Care” screening, which was followed by a discussion led by Ariel Ford, a former director of DCDEE who now works for Child Care Aware of America.
Ashleigh Arsenault was one of the attendees. She’s the early care and education manager for the Albemarle Alliance for Children and Families (AACF), the Smart Start partner for five counties in northeast North Carolina.
Arsenault left the event inspired by the power of collaboration and innovation she’d seen there.
“I was moved by how different stakeholders came together with a shared purpose and actionable strategies,” Arsenault said. “That event focused on not just the problems, but co-creating solutions.”
She brought the idea home to Angela Charlton, the executive director of AACF, who encouraged her to organize a similar event for their community.
“What made me realize that a local summit could bring a similar transformation to our community was the intentional focus on systems-level change, breaking down silos and fostering partnerships to extend beyond individual programs,” Arsenault said. “I wanted to create a space where we could harness the same energy, tailor solutions to our unique context, and elevate voices to improve early childhood outcomes.”
The AACF Childcare Solutions Summit, hosted by College of the Albemarle on its main campus in Elizabeth City, followed a similar agenda, with Anya Davis of the Elizabeth City Area Chamber of Commerce presenting on the value of child care and Kristi Snuggs, president of Early Years, providing the overview of North Carolina’s child care landscape. Jon Williams from the Southwestern Child Development Commission led the discussion after the screening of “Take Care.”
To start breaking down those silos that she saw falling at the military summit, Arsenault invited “everyone whose contact information I had!”
She said she wanted local government officials, parents, business owners, early childhood experts, child care professionals, and any other stakeholders to engage in meaningful discussions. Arsenault said she hopes they’ll have more government officials and business owners attend next year’s event.
How (and why) to host a screening in your community
The team behind the documentary has made it easy to host your own community screening. The 21-minute film is available for free at TakeCareNC.com.
At the website, you can enter your email to request a free local event planning guide for hosting your own community screening. You’ll be sent an eight-page screening toolkit that includes:
- Planning checklist and timeline
- Promotional resources, including flyers, a one-page fact sheet, social media tools, and a printable post card that can be mailed to community members
- Save-the-date, invitation, media alert, and press release templates
- Discussion guide
The website also includes a toolkit for simply encouraging people in your community to watch the documentary on their own. This toolkit includes social media graphics, a flyer, and a one-pager.
Tonizzo said that because the department made the documentary freely available, she does not know how many screenings have been held, but 120 people have signed up and received the screening toolkit.
“Anecdotally, we continue to hear that it has been a helpful tool as communities seek solutions,” Tonizzo said in an email. “Governor Stein has prioritized addressing North Carolina’s child care crisis and his newly formed task force is focused on solutions. As these conversations continue, ‘Take Care’ can help us understand what’s at stake if we don’t fix our child care crisis.”
That reflects Arsenault’s experience.
One week after AACF’s screening, Arsenault said she already had people expressing interest in joining a local task force focused on addressing child care issues.
“My hope is to have our first task group meeting next month!” Arsenault said. “In the larger picture, my hope is to educate our community on the various issues of child care, and how we can help support child care professionals and our local economy in the process.”
