CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Gov. Roy Cooper visited a Charlotte child care center Tuesday to discuss funding for early childhood education. Cooper got the private tour of Lollipop Child Development Center at 2 p.m.
He discussed his budget, which he has called First In Opportunity, which would invest $1.5 billion in new funding for child care and early childhood education, according to the governor's office.
“Child care is a triple play. It gets children a quality education and it frees parents to work which, in turn, enables employers to hire them,” Cooper during a similar appearance at a child care center in Greensboro, North Carolina, in March. “My budget makes critical investments to support these centers with continued funding so they can secure great teachers and staff to give every child in North Carolina the opportunity to succeed.”
Cooper’s recommended budget would invest $500 million for child care stabilization grants. That money could be used to maintain access to affordable early childhood education, according to his office.
The recommended budget also includes $200 million to increase child care subsidy rates in rural and lower-wealth communities.
Cooper said the investment is critical as federal funding made available through the pandemic is going to expire. It’s money the owners of Lollipop said helped them keep their doors open.
“Having been in business for 34 years, I can honestly say the stabilization grants have been instrumental in our success through COVID,” Todd Ridgeway said.
They were also able to keep all their staff on board.
“We were able to give raises to the staff, give raises to the staff, able to provide equipment in the classrooms, computers, smartboards, and playground equipment… things of that nature," Lollipop owner Nancy Ridgeway said. "So, it’s been a huge help."
She said it’s an investment with a huge payoff.
“It’s a comfort to the parents so they know their children are being well cared for and getting an education, and learning things that they will need for kindergarten and beyond,” she continued.
Ariel Ford, the Director of the Division of Child Development and Early Education for the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services, said it’s about setting the kids up for success in the long run.
“They are more likely to read on grade level on 3rd grade, they are more likely to graduate high school on time and they are more likely to have a healthy successful life when they graduate and moved into their adulthood,” Ford explained.
More than $800 million in NC Child Care Stabilization Grants have been distributed to 4,300 child care centers across the state, according to the state.
Contact Jesse Pierre at jpierrepet@wcnc.com or follow her on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
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