‘We have to have action’ to halt, reverse loss of child care programs
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The number of licensed child care programs in North Carolina continues to decline following the expiration of federal pandemic-era funding. Since that time, the General Assembly has offered only partial and temporary extensions of stabilization grants. Those efforts have not been sufficient to halt or reverse the trend of program closures.
Based on the latest data provided by the N.C. Child Care Resource and Referral (CCR&R) Council in partnership with the state Division of Child Development and Early Education (DCDEE), EdNC found that the number of licensed child care programs declined by 5.6% between March 2020 and November 2024.
Of the state’s 100 counties, 65 have had a net loss of licensed child care programs since February 2020, while 18 have remained stable and 17 have experienced a net gain.
Trends among subgroubs
In some subgroups of counties where child care had remained stable through the summer of 2024, closures are now taking a toll.
In the eight majority-Black counties (Bertie, Edgecombe, Halifax, Hertford, Northampton, Vance, Warren, and Washington), the number of licensed child care programs actually increased in the years during and after the pandemic. But by late 2024 these counties in the northeast corner of the state had fewer programs than they did before the pandemic.
The western counties that make up the area covered by the Dogwood Health Trust (Avery, Buncombe, Burke, Cherokee, Clay, Graham, Haywood, Henderson, Jackson, Macon, Madison, McDowell, Mitchell, Polk, Rutherford, Swain, Transylvania, and Yancey) also saw an increase in the number of licensed child care programs during and after the pandemic. But they had dipped below that baseline by the end of 2023. In the year since, they had a net loss of almost 3% of their licensed child care programs.
Two counties have large indigenous populations — Robeson and Swain. One continues to buck the net closure trend. The number of licensed child care programs in Robeson has increased from 90 to 98. If you work in early care and learning in Robeson County and have insight into what’s happening, please fill me in!
The vast majority of net program losses (89%) have occurred among family child care homes (FCCHs). FCCHs are an important part of the early care and learning landscape. Families choose these programs because of their location, affordability, flexibility, and cultural match. They can be a lifeline in rural areas that may not have a high enough concentration of young children to sustain a child care center.
“Child care is built on a system of family choice,” said Kristi Snuggs, president of Early Years. “Family child care homes just add to that choice, because it gives a way that families can keep all their children together at different ages. It allows them to really help in rural communities where there’s not a lot of other child care facilities.”
Why closures are bad and how to stop them
The closure of licensed child care programs has negative effects on the healthy brain development of our state’s youngest learners, the ability of their parents to participate in the workforce, and the financial freedom and well-being of educators who own and operate these small businesses.
A recent report on child care from the NC Rural Center concluded: “Childcare in North Carolina is in a precarious position. Federal funding has helped stave off a crisis of childcare, but even with this funding nearly half of all North Carolinians live in a childcare desert. Communities throughout the state are facing the challenges of childcare access and affordability, including rural communities.”
And based on results of an early care and learning workforce study, Snuggs expects the situation to worsen unless the legislature acts.
“Over a third of the teachers and administrators are thinking about leaving in the next three years,” Snuggs said. “So even though the stabilization cliff has come and gone for the most part, I think we’re going to see an even bigger exodus in the near future, if something doesn’t change.”
Snuggs pointed to the success of the WAGE$ program, which provides education-based salary supplements to early childhood educators. She says the turnover rate for participants has consistently been less than half of the turnover rate for nonparticipants for the last 30 years.
Snuggs said survey results show the top three reasons educators are leaving the field are lack of wages, respect, and benefits.
“We have to do something about wages and benefits,” Snuggs said. “I mean, we’ve talked about it, we’ve talked about it, I just feel like we have to make some kind of good faith effort.”
“Just talking about it is not going to make the difference, we have to have action,” Snuggs said. “It is time to put something into place to turn the numbers around.”
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