RALEIGH -- The North Carolina Supreme Court heard arguments in mid-October over funding for Pre-K programs, and a report from the Annie E. Casey Foundation says one-in-three children are cognitively behind upon entering kindergarten. Foundation spokesperson Laura Speer says access to early education programs is a key to solving this issue.

Speer said, "We can support and improve the quality of early-childhood programs, as well as the affordability for low-income kids. We know that having access to those early-childhood programs can be such a big gain."

According to Speer, North Carolina trails the national average when enrolling low-income children in preschool, but outpaces the rest of the country in screening for early-developmental issues.