Aimee Roberts is a Lead NC Pre-K Teacher at Eliada Child Development Center. And she's been part of our Higher Education Coaching and Supports Program to help get her Bachelor's Degree in Birth-Kindergarten Education. Coach Aimee McNeill has helped Aimee R. and ten other early educators get their degree or certificate in early education. 25 more are working toward these goals. We offer coaching, $100 per credit hour, access to a computer, and help navigating college, scholarships, and wage support programs. After her recent graduation from WCU, we asked Aimee R. about her experiences: "When I decided to go back to school to further my education in the early childhood field, I was nervous. I had a lot on my plate but also knew I had to do this for my future and most importantly, for my family. The hardest part was coming home from work after a long day and having to do schoolwork on top of being a mother. Some nights I dreaded opening my laptop to see what the assignments were for the week. WhenI questioned why I decided to go back, I reminded myself that the more education you have in the childhood field, the more money you make. Whenever I questioned going back to school or felt like this wasn't for me, I would always reach out to Coach Aimee. The program was a big support for me because I had the encouragement I needed from her to finish it out. Having that extra financial support helped me out a lot. I pushed myself to make good grades in order to receive those funds. I also told other educators about the program simply because it supported us educators who questioned if they could afford classes. My children were my motivation. I had to better myself for them and to see their face when their mama walked that stage was everything. They were so proud of me and I knew I did this for a reason. I cannot wait to see what the future holds for me in the early childhood field but if you’re questioning if you should go back to school or not, DO IT!" Early educators can sign up for this program on a rolling basis at https://tinyurl.com/bpfche (fb)

TELL CONGRESS: Protect Medicaid and federal funds for maternal health! We invite you to join our friends at MomsRising.org and sign a petition urging Congress to protect healthcare for families with low incomes: https://action.momsrising.org/sign/MMHcuts2025 Here's their great explanation of the issue: "In rural communities, where rates of depression and suicide are higher than in urban areas, moms are directly in the bullseye of the proposed cuts to Medicaid. That is because almost a quarter of rural women of childbearing age are covered by Medicaid, and almost 50% of rural births are covered by Medicaid. Hundreds of rural hospitals depend on funding brought in by Medicaid dollars so gutting this program will mean the closure of many of these hospitals. The proposed cuts to Medicaid would worsen an already bad situation in rural communities where many mothers are already living in maternity care deserts. Numerous maternal mental health and maternal health programs are under threat, including the National Maternal Mental Health Hotline, which is a free 24/7 call center that serves tens of thousands of pregnant and postpartum women and their loved ones. We know that mental health conditions are a leading cause of preventable maternal deaths so it is critical that we let our leaders know that maternal health, including mental health, should not be on the chopping block." *This post was not created with public funding. (fb)