Governor Josh Stein announced a new task force to address what his administration calls a "child care crisis in North Carolina."
Speaking at a child care center in Durham, Stein said the number one problem in early childhood education is that there simply aren't enough providers to serve all the families seeking care.
“Right now, we have only one child care slot for every five families that need one," he said. "Moms find out they're pregnant and immediately have to jump onto a wait list, hoping that a slot will open in time for when she goes back to work.”
Stein promised to call for greater investment in the state's childcare industry in his upcoming budget proposal.