Tell NC lawmakers: Our state's child care providers need emergency support!

Parents have always known that affordable, high-quality child care is a critical part of making the puzzle work for thousands of NC families. But the COVID-19 crisis has made it graphically clear that not only do families rely on our early education system to keep working, our state and nation’s economy does, too. And child care providers will play a crucial role in our recovery when this crisis is over.

Put simply, child care providers are the workforce behind the workforce. They make it all possible. But right now they are struggling mightily.

Our state’s child care providers need urgent financial support right now in order to provide the emergency care essential workers' families need and to ensure our state’s entire child care infrastructure remains intact in the long-term.

**Sign the petition urging the NC General Assembly to enact the $125 million Child Care Emergency Economic Support Package, put forth by the NC Early Education Coalition! Our state’s child care system is depending on it.

North Carolina policymakers:

We urge you to consider the $125 million Child Care Emergency Economic Support Package to support and sustain the child care sector. Early childhood education programs need additional financial support now, during, and after the COVID-19 crisis. Governors, state leaders, and health care systems have made it clear that child care is an essential service for the thousands of children and families they serve and it is particularly crucial during this emergency public health and economic crisis. Yet, funding has not been provided to support and sustain the child care industry.

North Carolina should designate the child care sector as an essential service that is foundational to our state’s economy. We call on Governor Cooper and the NC General Assembly to enact a $125 million emergency economic support package to support and sustain the child care industry now, during, and after the Coronavirus crisis passes.

Right now, as businesses and schools are being told to close their doors to limit the spread of this deadly virus, workers deemed “essential” are still relying on child care to be able to show up to work and keep our country running. Many child care facilities are being asked to remain open, with a fraction of the tuition income they normally bring in, in order to provide care in this time of uncertainty. As an industry, the child care sector was already operating on shoestring margins, and providers only get paid when children are in attendance. Extended closures over the next several weeks or months will put a substantial percentage of child care programs out of business permanently, exacerbating the widespread child care deserts that exist today. As of March 25, 2020, 55% of all child care centers have closed. One third of North Carolina's child care programs report they will not survive closing for more than two weeks, and another third may not be able to reopen without financial support.

The child care industry has a critical role to play both during this emergency and in our state's recovery, but it is on the verge of collapse. Please support this essential industry with $125 million in emergency funding to support and sustain child care now, during, and after this crisis.

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