CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Mecklenburg County families are asking where's the money as they continue paying more for child care.
Families are spending a disproportionate amount of their household income on child care.
This comes as day care centers themselves are struggling, with many workers fleeing for better-paying jobs.
“We have an even more significant crisis ahead of us just because of the economics of child care, which is an underfinanced system,” Janet Singerman, president and CEO of Child Care Resources Inc., said.
According to Child Care Resources Inc. in Mecklenburg County, there are 353 regulated childcare centers serving children from birth to 5 years old. The average cost for an infant is $315 a week, which totals $16,373 a year.
“Families can only afford to pay so much and they’re stretching their budgets as is," Singerman said.
Singerman said that the cost of labor is the main driver of high child care costs.
“You see, as wages increase across all kinds of industries, our inadequate wages, have folks leaving the field doing something that they love because they simply can’t afford to stay in it and provide for their families," Singerman said.
It's a barrier that Pathway Preschool in east Charlotte has witnessed firsthand.
“All of our challenges really are based around employment. No one is coming to work in this field because there’s not enough money," Emma Biggs, the Director of Pathway Preschool, said.
At Pathway Preschool, employees say that one of their biggest challenges is hiring new qualified employees in a hurting industry.
“It's already broken, it's been broken, it was broken prior to the pandemic," Biggs said.
Biggs says on average they charge about $275 a week for care.
“It weighs heavy on my heart because we see the struggles that our families have," Biggs said.
Biggs said they've been serving the community for nearly 40 years, but these days, they're just hanging on.
“It's tough times," Biggs said.
Biggs is an Outstanding Early Education Advocate Award recipient. She says they've been able to maintain staff due to COVID funding but they haven't been able to make more hires. Because of that, they've cut back on how many kids they enroll and the hours they operate.
With federal funding soon to run dry, she's concerned for the future.
“Pay teachers what they’re worth, they already don’t get benefits," Biggs said.
WCNC Charlotte is always asking "where's the money?" If you need help, reach out to WCNC Charlotte by emailing money@wcnc.com.
“If a program closes, it won’t necessarily be replaced and that will have significant consequences for our community," Singerman said.
Right now, there's a push for more funding through private and public sectors. Advocates say parents should speak to their elected officials on why childcare is essential to our community.
Contact Lexi Wilson at lwilson@wcnc.com and follow her on Facebook, X and Instagram.
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