North Carolina
Working families in North Carolina need accessible, affordable, quality child care and early learning opportunities for their children.
Currently, federal and state early learning programs reach thousands of young children and their families in North Carolina. But too many working families in North Carolina are missing out. As a direct result of child care issues, the North Carolina economy loses millions of dollars each year in the form of lost earnings, productivity, and revenue.
In the state, 64% of children have all available parents participating in the workforce, while the average cost of care is $12,370 a year (or $1,031 per month).
More than 27,500 children ages 5 and under have child care costs subsidized through the Child Care and Development Block Grant (CCDBG), or 15% of those eligible. The average copay with a CCDBG subsidy is $414 a month.
19.5K children receive care, learning, nutrition, and other services at no cost through Early Head Start/Head Start (or 8% of those eligible for Early Head Start and 20% of those eligible for Head Start).
And 197.1K working families have the cost of their child care offset through the Child + Dependent Care Tax Credit (CDCTC).
However, many working parents still struggle to access affordable, quality child care, which costs the state’s economy an estimated $5.0 billion each year in lost earnings and productivity.
North Carolina: In The Headlines
NC families face growing child care shortage as closures outpace openings
North Carolina Health News | March 10, 2026
North Carolina loses $5.65 billion every year in economic activity due to the lack of child care.
Letter: Child care funding is important for economy
Mountain Xpress | jANUARY 17, 2026
Young parents are least able to afford that cost, yet we want and need that young talent to keep our community healthy and vibrant.
North Carolina has record net loss of licensed child care programs since mid-2023
EdNC | jANUARY 27, 2026
North Carolina has had a net loss of 367 licensed child care programs since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic.
North Carolina Resources & News
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