CHARLOTTE, N.C. — With pandemic-era federal funding set to end in June, North Carolina leaders are pushing for more resources for child care.
Hundreds of day care centers have been forced to close over the past year, according to the Department of Health and Human Services. Now, there's a push to help centers get the support they need.
Lawmakers are set to return to Raleigh in less than two weeks and stage agencies are up against the clock, pushing for more funding.
As centers close across the state, NCDHHS Secretary Kody Kinsley is making child care funding a top priority.
"I'm worried that we're standing at the edge of a cliff and the whole system is going to fall apart," Kinsley said.
It's a critical resource for families, and it's all being threatened by disappearing COVID-19 funds.
"Unfortunately, those subsidies have sunsetted," Kinsley said. "And at the same time, workforce costs are higher than ever."
But it's not just up to lawmakers in Raleigh. Kinsley says it's going to take several different approaches to help our kids.
"It's really thinking about creating partnerships with businesses," he said. "We've had a lot of businesses flocking to North Carolina. That's wonderful, and they're thinking about what they can do to bring more child care access, making that a part of their benefit array that they're offering to parents."
It's an issue that can hopefully cut through party lines.
"This is another bipartisan thing that we can all link arms on and try to push forward together for North Carolina," Kinsley said.
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