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.
There are 708k children ages 5 and under in North Carolina – 63% of these children have all available parents in the workforce.
The typical annual cost of child care for an infant in North Carolina is around $12,000.
The Child Care and Development Block Grant only reaches 15% of eligible families. This federal program helps low-income parents afford child care.
On average, child care providers in North Carolina earn just $29,100 a year; this can make it a challenge to recruit and retain this workforce, leading to supply issues.
North Carolina’s economy loses $3.5B annually due to child care challenges
North Carolina: In The Headlines
A Systemic Issue: The Child care Crisis in Orange County and North Carolina
Chapelboro.com | jANUARY 22, 2025
The price of child care has more than doubled since 2000, outpacing the cost of other expenses, like housing and groceries.
Opinion: North Carolina’s child care ‘trilemma’
EdNC | January 27, 2025
There is likely not a parent or employer in North Carolina who has not been directly impacted by the “child care trilemma,” a term coined by the late great Gwen Morgan in 1986 to describe the lack of available, affordable, quality child care.
‘We have to have action’ to halt, reverse net loss of licensed child care programs
EDNC | fEBRUARY 10, 2025
The number of licensed child care programs in North Carolina continues to decline.
North Carolina Resources & News
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