Thousands of NC childcare programs could be forced to close
CHARLOTTE (QUEEN CITY NEWS) — Childcare providers across the state are stepping away from their classrooms in the hope of educating a different demographic: lawmakers and the public.
“There’s always been a problem, but it’s really hanging on a thread right now,” Childcare Changemakers organizer and Childcare Director at Pathway Preschool Center Emma Biggs said. “Once June 30th happens, a lot of programs are going to have to close their doors or their classroom.”
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Childcare workers at the East Charlotte center are joining a nationwide push for better pay, affordable childcare for families, and government assistance. Providers as well as parents spent Monday participating in the “Day Without Child Care.” They held signs, chanted, and sang—all in an effort to raise awareness about the state of the childcare industry.
They are asking North Carolina lawmakers for $300 million to extend stabilization grants. Since 2021, the money has been used to increase staff wages. The grants are set to expire next month.
“I have teachers across the state already living in poverty. They already have Medicaid and food stamps and then they come to work, taking care of other people’s children,” Biggs said.
According to ZipRecruiter, the average hourly pay for a childcare worker in North Carolina is $13.08. While that pay has seen minimal increases over the last couple of years, the cost to send your child to daycare has skyrocketed.
“Families are spending such big chunks of their paychecks on childcare and then the teachers are barely making enough. They could literally make more if they went down the street and worked at a big box store,” parent Clare Knoblich said.
If funding is cut, nearly 30% of all programs across the state are expected to close. The North Carolina Childcare Resource and Referral Council estimates that more than 90,000 children would be impacted.
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“It is really hard as a parent to even get into a school like Pathway. Many of our neighbors are on wait lists for years and years. So, the fact that there is already a crisis in the availability of childcare and that it could get worse, I think really deserves attention,” Knoblich said.
On top of a wave of closure, Biggs says a lack of funding would also cause parents to see a rise in childcare costs.
“If a program cannot afford [to] pay their teachers, they will have to go up on the fees for the parents and that is if they have the availability to pay. So, if you have a program that has a lot of family homes or centers that have a lot of subsidized children, those parents can’t afford to pay anymore either. So, childcare is already unaffordable. So that’s why a lot of programs will end up closing their doors,” she said.
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