We won on child care in NC! Add your name to our giant thank you card

float: left; margin-left: 10px; margin-right: 10px; We’ve got some great news to celebrate!

After years of parents, child care educators, business leaders, advocates, and organizations speaking out together, North Carolina has made important new investments in child care and early learning.

These investments won’t solve our state’s child care crisis overnight—but they are real progress that will strengthen child care for families across North Carolina.

The new state budget signed last week:

Raises child care subsidy reimbursement rates so providers are paid closer to the true cost of providing care.
Creates a statewide reimbursement rate floor, helping ensure providers in every county receive fairer funding and helping them keep their doors open to care for children.
Invests $97 million in recurring federal funding to support these improvements.
Expands Child Care Academies and creates new pathways to recruit and prepare early childhood educators.
Invests $7.3 million to expand mental and behavioral health supports for children, families, and child care professionals.
Supports efforts to increase the supply of child care, including helping launch more Family Child Care Homes.

When elected leaders make meaningful investments in children and families, it’s important that they hear from us. Saying “thank you” lets lawmakers know these investments matter to North Carolina families. It also sends another important message: Don’t stop now.

Can you help us keep the momentum going and add your name to our giant oversized card to the legislative champions who helped make this win happen? Sign the card now!

Dear Governor Josh Stein and North Carolina Legislative Champions,

As parents, grandparents, caregivers, early educators, business leaders, and North Carolinians who believe every child deserves a strong start, we are writing to say thank you.

Thank you for making meaningful investments in child care and early learning in North Carolina’s new state budget. Your leadership sends a powerful message that children, families, and the early educators who care for them matter.

We are especially grateful for your support that:

Raises child care subsidy reimbursement rates so providers are paid closer to the true cost of providing care.
Creates a statewide reimbursement rate floor, helping ensure providers in every county receive fairer funding and helping them keep their doors open to care for children.
Invests $97 million in recurring federal funding to support these improvements.
Expands Child Care Academies and creates new pathways to recruit and prepare early childhood educators.
Invests $7.3 million to expand mental and behavioral health supports for children, families, and child care professionals.
Supports efforts to increase the supply of child care, including helping launch more Family Child Care Homes.

These investments will make a real difference for children, families, educators, employers, and communities across North Carolina. They reflect an understanding that child care is essential infrastructure—supporting children’s healthy development, parents’ ability to work, and our state’s economy.

At the same time, we know there is still more work to do. Families across North Carolina continue to struggle to find and afford quality child care. Early educators remain underpaid despite the essential role they play in helping children learn and thrive. Child care programs continue to face significant financial challenges that threaten their ability to keep their doors open.

We hope you will continue building on this momentum by making child care and early learning a priority in future legislative sessions. Every child deserves access to affordable, high-quality early learning, every family deserves the peace of mind that comes with reliable child care, and every early educator deserves compensation that reflects the importance of their work.

Thank you for your leadership, for listening to North Carolina families, and for taking meaningful action. We appreciate these important investments and look forward to working with you to ensure every child, every family, and every community can thrive.

With gratitude,

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