North Carolina Governor Josh Stein is sounding the alarm on the state’s child care crisis, releasing a new report that calls for urgent action to help working families.
The North Carolina Task Force on Child Care and Early Education just wrapped up its first year with a roadmap to make child care more affordable and accessible in all 100 counties.
Governor Stein says far too many parents are being forced out of the workforce because they simply can't find or afford a safe place for their kids.
The report lays out six big goals for 2026, including setting a minimum reimbursement rate for child care subsidies and exploring free child care for the teachers themselves to help with staffing shortages.
Lieutenant Governor Rachel Hunt, who co-chairs the task force, says they’ll be pushing the General Assembly this year to treat child care as an essential service for the economy.
