Statewide Poll: Child Care a Top Bipartisan Affordability and Workforce Issue in North Carolina
A new statewide poll released October 6 finds that child care is a major bipartisan concern for North Carolina families, ranking alongside housing and health care as a top affordability and workforce issue, EdNC reported. The survey shows broad agreement across party lines that the state's child care system is in crisis.
The poll found that a majority of parents with young children say child care costs are a significant financial strain, and many report cutting work hours or leaving jobs because they cannot find or afford care. Employers, meanwhile, cite child care shortages as a drag on hiring and retention.
Advocates say North Carolina's child care programs face a funding cliff as pandemic-era federal dollars run out, threatening classroom closures and teacher layoffs. The poll found strong bipartisan support for increased state investment in child care subsidies and teacher pay.
The findings are expected to shape debate in the next legislative session, where lawmakers from both parties have signaled interest in child care legislation. Business groups have joined the push, framing child care as an economic competitiveness issue.
(Source: EdNC)
Source: EdNC
Published by GSM · USA (original Chinese edition)
Photo: 图：位于罗利的北卡罗来纳州议会大厦。摄影：P. Hughes，CC BY 4.0，来源：Wikimedia Commons
