Child care advocates in North Carolina demand urgent funding amid fears of sector collapse.
CHARLOTTE, N.C. — With North Carolina’s state budget still under revision in the House, child care advocates gathered across the state Monday to demand urgent funding for an industry they say is teetering on collapse.
The coordinated effort — part of a national movement dubbed “A Day Without Child Care” — included rallies in multiple cities, including one in Charlotte, where parents and child care workers called on lawmakers to act before more families lose access to care.
“We’re in a crisis right now,” said Laterria Lassiter with the National Domestic Workers Alliance. “We want them to see that this crisis right now is justification to pull those funds out and support this industry.”
Advocates are pushing for the General Assembly to approve a $220 million subsidy reimbursement rate floor to ensure every North Carolina county receives adequate child care funding, along with an additional $60 million to help providers afford care for their own children.
The urgency follows the expiration of pandemic-era federal relief funds, which had propped up child care programs during the worst of COVID-19’s economic fallout. Without those supports, providers say they are laying off staff and closing classrooms, with some centers shutting down altogether.
For Carla Trotter, a mother and daycare worker in Charlotte, the financial strain is personal.
“I wipe their tears, I change them, I’m there for them every day, I treat them like their my own,” Trotter said. “But sometimes in this business, the money that we make isn’t enough for our own families — we have to put stuff aside.”
Organizers say at least 104 child care centers across North Carolina closed Monday in solidarity with the movement. Supporters argue that the child care sector underpins the state’s entire workforce and economy.
“We are begging our state legislature to support an industry that supports the whole entire state,” Lassiter said.
While the North Carolina Senate has passed its version of the budget, the House is still making revisions. A final vote is expected in the coming weeks or months.
Meanwhile, Governor Josh Stein has launched a Child Care and Early Childhood Task Force, tasked with developing long-term recommendations to expand high-quality care, improve affordability, and retain experienced providers. The task force will present its findings later this year.
