EarlyWell Coalition Charts Path Toward Stronger Mental Health Supports - Build the Foundation

• Early Care and Learning

Statewide gathering brings together families, advocates, and early childhood leaders to help shape 2027 policy priorities.

COLFAX, N.C. — October 15, 2026 — Building a stronger future for North Carolina’s youngest children begins with the relationships, resources and systems that support them. That message brought members of the statewide EarlyWell coalition together Thursday at Guilford Technical Community College to identify opportunities for strengthening infant and early childhood mental health and begin shaping policy priorities ahead of the 2027 legislative session.

Co-led by the North Carolina Early Childhood Foundation (NCECF) and NC Child, EarlyWell brings together families, caregivers, early childhood professionals, advocates, and policymakers to advance policies that support children’s social, emotional, and mental well-being, from the prenatal period through age 8.

The annual gathering gave coalition members a chance to share experiences, examine challenges facing children and families across the state, and explore solutions that can lead to meaningful policy change.

“Each of us brings knowledge, experience, and perspectives that can help us anticipate challenges, recognize opportunities, and identify practical ways to move forward,” said Theresa Stacker, Executive Director of NCECF. “I encourage everyone to approach these conversations with an open mind and a willingness to collaborate, listen to different perspectives, and look for opportunities to connect our work.”

Since its 2019 launch, EarlyWell has grown into a statewide coalition engaging hundreds of stakeholders committed to strengthening the systems that support young children and their caregivers. The coalition’s work recognizes that children’s mental health begins with the relationships and environments that shape their earliest experiences.

“EarlyWell was built on a simple but powerful idea,” said Erica Palmer Smith, CEO of NC Child. “If we want to improve outcomes for young children’s social, emotional, and mental health, we have to strengthen the systems and policies that shape their early experiences. And we have to do it together.”

Turning Shared Priorities into Action

Discussions at the gathering centered on three key areas of opportunity:

• Expanding evidence-based home visiting programs to connect more families with resources, guidance, and support during children’s earliest years.
• Strengthening Family Support Network services to improve access to information, resources, and community-based support for families across North Carolina.
• Elevating early relational health within North Carolina’s Rural Health Transformation Program to help ensure that young children and caregivers benefit from coordinated mental health supports, particularly in underserved communities.

Early relational health emphasizes the importance of safe, stable, and nurturing relationships between young children and the adults who care for them. These relationships lay the foundation for healthy development, emotional well-being, and lifelong success.

The coalition also explored opportunities to secure sustainable state funding, maximize available federal resources, and better integrate infant and early childhood mental health into broader health and family support systems.

Thaís Carrero, NCECF’s EarlyWell Policy Strategist, helps guide the coalition’s work and coordinate efforts to turn shared priorities into actionable strategies. As planning continues, Carrero will work alongside coalition partners to build on the discussions, strengthen alignment across organizations, and help advance a coordinated policy agenda.

The gathering marks an important step in EarlyWell’s preparations for the 2027 North Carolina General Assembly session. Coalition members will continue refining their priorities, building partnerships, and engaging state leaders in the months ahead.

Through this collective work, EarlyWell aims to ensure that more North Carolina children and families have access to the relationships, resources, and care they need to thrive.

About EarlyWell

EarlyWell is a nonpartisan statewide coalition co-led by the North Carolina Early Childhood Foundation and NC Child. The coalition advances public policies that help North Carolina children, from the prenatal period through age 8, and their caregivers build strong relationships, experience positive mental health, and access needed care without barriers. Learn more at ncchild.org/what-we-do/earlywell.

About the North Carolina Early Childhood Foundation

The North Carolina Early Childhood Foundation works to ensure every North Carolina child has a strong foundation for lifelong health, education, and well-being. Through collaboration, strategic partnerships, and policy advancement, NCECF connects policy to impact and helps build a comprehensive, equitable prenatal-through-third-grade system that supports children and families. Learn more at buildthefoundation.org.

About NC Child

NC Child is a nonprofit organization that advocates for policies that improve the lives of all North Carolina children. Learn more at ncchild.org.