A record-setting 256 elementary schools across North Carolina will participate in the Fresh Fruit and Vegetable Program (FFVP) for the 2023-24 school year, the largest number of schools ever to participate in a given school year.
Rebounding from pandemic lows, North Carolina high school students in 2022-23 participated and performed in college-level Advanced Placement courses at levels above those during the 2018-19 school year, according to data reported by the College Board, which administers the AP program and exams.
Eight North Carolina public schools were named National Blue Ribbon Schools for 2023 by U.S. Secretary of Education Miguel Cardona.
The State of North Carolina and RTI International, a nonprofit research institute, today announced the Clean Classrooms for Carolina KidsTM program is ready to help public schools, licensed child care centers, and family child care homes identify and eliminate exposure to lead and asbestos hazards in building infrastructure.
State test results from the 2022-23 school year presented to the State Board of Education today show that North Carolina students continued to recover ground lost to the COVID pandemic, with gains across virtually all grades, subjects and student subgroups.
The North Carolina Department of Public Instruction released a comprehensive set of resources today to help schools and teachers successfully implement the North Carolina Portrait of a Graduate in classrooms.
Students in early elementary grades in North Carolina public schools made strong gains in their literacy skills during the 2022-23 school year, according to assessment results presented today to the State Board of Education by State Superintendent of Public Instruction Catherine Truitt.
State Superintendent of Public Instruction Catherine Truitt testified today on North Carolina’s approach to COVID-19 pandemic recovery at a hearing convened by the U.S. House Education and the Workforce Subcommittee on Early Childhood, Elementary and Secondary Education.
The Center for Safer Schools (CFSS) will hold its annual RISE Back to School Safety Summit from July 31-Aug. 2, 2023, at the Gastonia Conference Center in Gastonia, N.C.
School districts and charter schools across North Carolina would have a new tool to keep their students safer thanks to legislation that passed the General Assembly.
North Carolina’s youngest readers have continued to make strong gains in early literacy over the last year, improving in critical skills like letter naming, phonemic awareness, and decoding, according to data previously released from the North Carolina Department of Public Instruction.
The Center for Safer Schools (CFSS) is launching a Parent Engagement Committee to elevate parents’ voice in their children’s safety in schools.
North Carolina Insurance Commissioner Mike Causey will join firefighters from the Derby Volunteer Fire Department in celebrating the department’s 40th anniversary on Saturday morning.
Commissioner Causey, who is also the State Fire Marshal, will also present the Department’s top award to two of the fire department’s charter members.
Insurance Commissioner Mike Causey is joining Safe Kids Pitt County Director Ellen Walston and North Carolina Governor’s Highway Safety Program Director Mark Ezzell to help save children’s lives by making sure families use a properly installed child safety seat in their vehicles.
North Carolina Insurance Commissioner Mike Causey, who also serves as the State Fire Marshal, will announce a new insurance rating for the Gastonia Fire Department on Tuesday, Aug 8.
The announcement will take place at 10 a.m. at the Gastonia Fire Department, 260 N. Myrtle School Rd. Gastonia, N.C. 28052.
Insurance Commissioner Mike Causey, who also serves as the State Fire Marshal, on Tuesday will present the Order of the Guardian Award to three Rockingham County volunteer firefighters who have more than 155 years of combined service to their communities.
As the Fourth of July holiday approaches, Insurance Commissioner Mike Causey is urging North Carolinians to celebrate safely by following a few simple summer safety steps.
Fireworks, grilling out and water activities are traditional parts of America’s Independence Day celebrations, but all have inherent risks that could ultimately end in serious injury or death.
North Carolina Insurance Commissioner Mike Causey, who also serves as the State Fire Marshal, will present the Guardian Award to Clayton Fire Chief Lee Barbee on Wednesday, June 28.
North Carolina Insurance Commissioner Mike Causey, who also serves as the State Fire Marshal, will announce the new insurance rating for the Burlington Fire Department in Alamance County on Tuesday, June 27.
The announcement will take place at 1:30 p.m. at the Burlington Fire Department Station 1, 215 S. Church St. Burlington, N.C. 27215
North Carolina Insurance Commissioner Mike Causey will present the Order of the Long Leaf Pine to retiring Fire Chief Vence Harris of the Chapel Hill Fire Department during a special ceremony on Friday, June 16.
The Commissioner, who also serves as the State Fire Marshal, will present the award at 6:30 p.m. at the Sheraton Hotel, located at One Europa Drive in Chapel Hill.
PRESS RELEASE — State health leaders met at the Governor’s Mansion on Sept. 20 to discuss increasing affordable access for some breast cancer screenings.
PRESS RELEASE — For the first time, North Carolina’s Department of Health and Human Services is joining with the American Society on Aging to acknowledge the newly established Ageism Awareness Day on Oct. 7, 2023. Modeled after the United Nation’s International Day of Older Persons, Ageism Awareness Day provides an opportunity to draw attention to the existence and impact of ageism in our society.
PRESS RELEASE — The North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services’ Office of Rural Health, in partnership with East Carolina University and North Carolina State University, has been awarded a highly competitive Community Partnerships to Advance Science for Society award from the National Institutes of Health for the proposed Agricultural Workers Digital Equity Initiative. The five-year, nearly $6 million award strives to advance health equity by promoting digital inclusion for agricultural workers and their families in North Carolina.
MEDIA ADVISORY - A community job fair will be held at WorkSource West in Morganton on Oct. 5, 2023. The event is being hosted by the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services’ Division of Vocational Rehabilitation Services.
PRESS RELEASE — The North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services will host a live Spanish-language Cafecito and tele-town hall on Tuesday, Sept. 26, from 6 to 7 p.m. to discuss common health needs and how to find support. As the event takes place during Hispanic Heritage Month, NCDHHS and participants will honor Hispanic and Latino communities across the state and share health-related information and resources.
PRESS RELEASE — Governor Roy Cooper and NC Department of Health and Human Services Secretary Kody H. Kinsley today announced NCDHHS will launch Medicaid Expansion on Dec. 1, 2023, giving more than 600,000 North Carolinians access to health care.
PRESS RELEASE — The Julian F. Keith Alcohol and Drug Abuse Treatment Center in Black Mountain, N.C. recently unveiled a new patient care unit and announced an innovative partnership to redefine recovery journeys. JFK is one of two alcohol and drug abuse treatment facilities in North Carolina operated by the NC Department of Health and Human Services. It currently provides inpatient and outpatient services, including medical detox, psychiatric stabilization, substance use disorder and mental health treatment using best practice standards — including Motivational Interviewing, Trauma-Informed Care and "Seeking Safety."
PRESS RELEASE - The North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services is pleased to be selected among several entities for the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ Health Resources and Services Administration investment in increasing access to maternal care, addressing maternal mental health and growing the maternal health workforce in North Carolina. The department is committed to addressing the maternal mortality crisis and ongoing disparities among infant and maternal mortality rates, particularly in underserved areas. Black babies in North Carolina are 2.5 times more likely to die than white babies, and Black women experience almost twice the rate of maternal mortality than white women.
PRESS RELEASE - The North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services reminds people to take precautions against mosquito bites following recent reports of West Nile virus infection in the state. Late summer and early autumn are the most common time to become infected with mosquito-borne diseases in North Carolina like WNV.
PRESS RELEASE - The North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services is launching the Inclusion Works initiative to promote competitive integrated employment for people with intellectual and/or developmental disabilities, because everyone in North Carolina has a right to work in an integrated setting for fair pay if that is their choice. Inclusion Works offers resources for people with disabilities seeking employment, those who are currently employed and employers who hire and retain staff with an intellectual or developmental disability.
MEDIA ADVISORY - North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services Secretary Kody H. Kinsley will get the annual flu vaccine, as well as the fall COVID-19 vaccine on Monday, which Governor Roy Cooper has proclaimed at "Get Your Flu Shot Day." Secretary Kinsley will get both vaccines at 2:30 p.m. at a CVS Pharmacy in Raleigh.
MEDIA ADVISORY - Carole Johnson, Administrator for the Health Resources and Services Administration of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, will be joined by Kody Kinsley, Secretary of the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services, grantees and families at Wake County Public Health Center on Thursday, Sept. 21, 2023, to announce new federal funding to combat maternal mortality and improve maternal health, particularly in underserved communities.
PRESS RELEASE - The Child and Adult Care Food Program helps eligible children and adults access healthy, nutritious food by reimbursing qualified child care programs, adult day programs and other non-residential care programs for meals and snacks served to enrollees. CACFP is administered federally by the U.S. Department of Agriculture and at the state level by the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services.
PRESS RELEASE - The North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency are recognizing SepticSmart Week Sept. 18-22, 2023. This annual event focuses on educating homeowners and communities on the proper care and maintenance of their septic systems. Proper care and maintenance protects the health and well-being of all North Carolinians by ensuring safe drinking water, preventing waterborne diseases, preserving the environment, maintaining property values and reducing repair costs.
PRESS RELEASE - The North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services will host its Annual Assistive Technology Expo “A Day in the Life with AT” on Oct. 5, at the McKimmon Conference and Training Center at NC State University in Raleigh.
PRESS RELEASE - September marks National Recovery Month, an opportunity to celebrate any changes towards wellness and a healthier, happier life. It specifically highlights people in recovery from substance use and mental health conditions, while also promoting treatment and recovery practices. The theme of Recovery Month is "Every Person. Every Family. Every Community." — an important reminder that recovery is all around us.
PRESS RELEASE - A new report showcases how North Carolina supported and invested in its child care programs so they could remain open during the COVID-19 pandemic, preserving the state’s early childhood education infrastructure and setting it apart from other states.
PRESS RELEASE - Suicide is a statewide and national public health crisis impacting people of all ages across all socioeconomic, racial and ethnic backgrounds. Suicide awareness is key to saving lives, and with September recognized as Suicide Prevention Awareness Month, the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services remembers those affected by suicide and is raising awareness of treatments and resources available to everyone in the community.
PRESS RELEASE - Everyone 6-months and older should get the fall COVID-19 vaccine with their flu shot. Because the COVID-19 virus continues to evolve, the updated COVID-19 vaccine is designed to match the changed virus and help protect people from serious illness, hospitalization and death.
PRESS RELEASE - Effective Tuesday, the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services will temporarily assume leadership of child welfare services at the Nash County Department of Social Services, as authorized under state law.
Three business units within the North Carolina Department of Information Technology (NCDIT) are working together to improve the connectivity of rural residents and health care providers in order to improve care delivery for the state’s residents.