Child care

Child care advocates say the changes could help increase the capacity of child care centers, but providers are also cautious about sacrificing quality.

The state Senate is expected to vote this week on new regulations for child care facilities. The proposal would allow larger class sizes, among other provisions aimed at increasing access to child care services.

North Carolina’s legislature passed more than $1 billion with two Helene recovery funding bills in October, but by mid-February, about two-thirds of that money still hadn’t been spent.

This week, Gov. Josh Stein shared six statistics that underscore why he's calling the current state of child care a “crisis.” Education reporter Liz Schlemmer fact checked the claims.

Advocates for early childhood education have long warned of a looming funding cliff as federal COVID-19 relief to the child care industry expired in June. State lawmakers passed a stop gap measure to help keep child care centers open.

The legislature adjourned its “short session” Thursday without approving a budget plan for the state’s billion-dollar revenue surplus.

Faced with unaffordable or inaccessible child care options, tens of thousands of North Carolina parents have turned to caring for their children while at work.

Many working parents struggle to afford child care, and the situation could get worse very soon. Federal COVID-19 relief funds that helped child care providers raise salaries to keep teachers are set to run out. Most providers plan to charge families more.

While Lt. Gov. Mark Robinson’s wife told her nonprofit’s clients that she was shutting down because of her husband’s campaign for governor, she told a state agency a different story.

State health officials told a legislative oversight committee Tuesday that more money will be needed to fix critical staffing and financial shortfalls facing North Carolina's childcare and mental health facilities.