NC child care at risk this week; urge lawmakers to support emergency funding

In July, NC MomsRising members and partners won a critical victory for child care and for families, convincing our state lawmakers to provide $67.5 million in emergency child care funding for six months to replace federal funds that were ending.

But those emergency funds will run out in December! Without urgent action this week from legislators, North Carolina families will again be facing a situation where child care will likely become unavailable or unaffordable. The impact on families’ ability to work while knowing our children are well-cared for will be massive.

Since 2021, child care compensation grants have provided higher wages and bonuses to more than 40,000 North Carolina early educators. Prior to the grants, the average wage for a child care teacher in North Carolina was $12/hour, lower than most retail and service workers.

Without renewed state funding this week to replace those child care compensation grants for the next six months, our state’s child care system will be facing a crisis where teacher wages will go down, resulting in a mass exodus of teachers who need to support their own families and can earn more working in fast food, retail, and similar industries.

Fewer teachers will mean classroom and center closures and even longer waitlists for parents who need child care in order to work and support their families. For those centers who try to make up the difference in teacher wages on their own, parent costs will have to go up to cover it, making child care even more unaffordable.

Sadly, we’ve already seen what can happen without funding. From July when lawmakers approved emergency funding to September when child care providers finally received the checks, 69 child care programs closed and many more reduced classrooms and hours. The impact on the children and families affected is immeasurable.

Lawmakers will decide this week whether to invest in the child care North Carolina parents need to work and our children need to thrive. Let them know working families are counting on their support! Send a quick message now-we’ve made it quick and easy.

I wanted to reach out and thank you for providing emergency funding to ensure North Carolina didn’t go over the child care funding cliff in July. I’m also writing to urge you to continue your support and provide the remaining funds needed for the compensation grants this fiscal year. These funds are critical to shore up child care programs so you and other lawmakers can work in the 2025 legislative session on longer-term solutions to meet the needs of families, communities, and employers The emergency stop-gap funds made a big difference this fall in whether parents and children were able to keep and afford child care, child care teachers could afford to stay in their jobs, and parents were able to go to work and support their families. Sadly, we’ve already seen what can happen without funding. From July when emergency funding was approved to September when child care providers finally received the checks, 69 child care programs closed and many more reduced classrooms and hours. The impact on the children and families affected was immeasurable. If you don’t act this week to provide additional funding, our state’s children and families will be facing another child care cliff in December as funds run out. This will not only be bad for working families, their children, and their employers, but it will harm our state’s economy which relies on the labor of working parents. I’m grateful for your past support and urge you to fully fund the Department of Health and Human Services’ request of $100 million to fund compensation grants at their original levels for the remaining two quarters of the State Fiscal Year. We’re counting on you to help keep our families working and our state’s youngest children learning. Sincerely,

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