October 27, 2021

Gov. Roy Cooper (NC) States Importance of Early Education While Visiting LeafSpring School at Ballantyne

On Thursday, October 21, 2021, North Carolina Governor Cooper and Secretary of HHS Cohen toured the LeafSpring School at Ballantyne campus. They took time to meet the staff, discuss the current workforce crisis and the state’s stabilization grants with Rhonda Rivers, Regional Director of Curriculum & Training at LeafSpring Schools in Charlotte, NC.

“High-quality child care and pre-kindergarten are critical building blocks for children’s success in school and for parents who work,” Cooper said Thursday while touring an early learning center in Charlotte. “When we invest in early childhood education, we are investing in the workforce of today and tomorrow.”

Rhonda Rivers, the regional director of curriculum and training at LeafSpring School, which includes nursery, preschool and kindergarten classes and a summer camp for children in the Charlotte area, said the funding would help the school provide bonuses for staff to recruit and retain high-quality teachers. The school serves 400 families in Mecklenburg County and surrounding areas. The Cooper administration said families would benefit from having high-quality teachers for their children.

Read media coverage:

• WSOC
• WCNC
• WCCB
• WFAE
• WBAV
• Fox 46
• Blue Ridge Public Radio
• Governor Cooper’s Office
• The Center Square