5 days ago
NC Senate passes bills to help the child care industry
Child care advocates rallied in Raleigh last summer in support of calls for better state funding. (Photo: Greg Childress)
The state Senate on Wednesday unanimously approved legislation meant to help the state's struggling child care industry.
House Bill 412 would allow larger class sizes in child care centers if the staff-to-child ratio stays the same.
Child care center employees would be able qualify as lead teachers if they have five years of teaching experience as an alternative to a North Carolina Early Childhood Credential.
The bill would also set up a workgroup on developing group liability insurance plans for child care providers.
'A lot of child care centers are having trouble finding and keeping insurance,' said Sen. Jim Burgin (R-Harnett).
Child care businesses tend to operate on thin profit margins. At the same time, child care is unaffordable for many families.
Child care centers face staff shortages that force them to limit enrollment. Wages are low and many workers do not have health insurance through their employers.
The median wage for child care workers in the state was $11.69 in 2022, according to a report last year from the Center for the Study of Child Care Employment. More than 40% of early childhood educator households participated in safety net programs the report said.
Legislators are focused on child care this year, with lawmakers considering increases in child care subsidies, and with an active task force Gov. Josh Stein assembled looking at questions of child care financing and funding, child care for the public sector workforce, and child care worker compensation.
Wide swaths of the state are considered child care deserts. Rural families are more likely to use home-based child care or have friends and family watch their children, according to the NC Early Childhood Foundation.
House Bill 309, which makes it clear that for building-code purposes, home-based child care should be treated as a residence and not commercial building, also passed the Senate unanimously.
Both bills go back to the House to see if House members agree with the Senate's changes.
