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
Businesses Scramble to Address Child Care Crisis
The Assembly | October 18, 2024
The NC Chamber survey found 79% of voters—across all parties and regions of the state—want more state funding for affordable, quality care.
Is NC Pre-K dying? Providers say low funding makes it hard to keep up.
NC Health News | oCTOBER 30, 2024
With rising costs, some providers can’t afford the steep requirements and inadequate reimbursement rates.
Lack of affordable child care is hurting NC economic growth. What can be done?
Greensboro News and Record | November 17, 2024
The lack of legislative and public-private support for child care assistance has contributed to fewer parents of younger children in the workforce, and a potential loss of between $5.7 billion and $13.3 billion in annual economic input.
North Carolina Resources & News
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