It takes a lot to keep childcare facilities up and running and it’s no different for staff at the Raleigh Nursery School.
That’s why co-owner, Keisha Sanders, along with Congresswoman Deborah Ross held a roundtable at the school to call on more funding for childcare facilities, funding that’s running out as COVID grants end.
It’s help Sanders needs to keep her staff.
“Just to get people out of the house and back into the school, we had to go from paying $15 an hour to $20 an hour. Now everyone’s budget is set based on what they’re receiving. You can’t go an ask for them to give that back,” said Sanders.
Last month Congress passed a funding package that included a $1 billion increase for early childhood education programs but many on the panel say we still need more to keep childcare facilities running.
Ross believes the child tax credit will help.
“That child tax credit will let parents use that money for child care costs but it’ll also alleviate the burden of lower wages and not making 20, 25 dollars an hour for child care workers who also have children,” said Rep. Ross.
Sanders says more funding is needed to keep her school afloat.
“I’m not sure exactly what will happen if we don’t get another influx of resources to our schools. We’re gonna do the best we can. We have seen hard times before. You’ll have to cut back on something…there’s something you’ll have to cut back on,” said Sanders.
Ross says if lawmakers don’t act about 30 percent of childcare facilities in North Carolina will close, affecting more than 91,000 kids.