Today, Governor Roy Cooper toured the Wildflower Cottage for Children in Durham County to highlight the North Carolina Child Care Stabilization Grants that child care centers across the state have received to support and retain the early educator workforce.

“Child care and early learning programs lay the foundation for future success,” Governor Cooper said. “This funding is raising preschool teacher pay so we can keep them in the profession, which helps children learn and parents stay in the workforce.”

Since the launch of the program in October 2021, the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services (NCDHHS) has distributed more than $743 million to over 4,300 child care centers and family child care homes in 99 counties.

A historic $1.9 billion in one-time federal dollars has been invested in North Carolina’s child care system, helping to keep child care programs across the state open and teachers working. 98% of total eligible child care programs have received grants.

This year, Governor Cooper toured child care centers across the state to highlight how this funding is helping these centers succeed as the state emerges stronger from the pandemic. Learn more about how the NC Child Care Stabilization Grants are supporting and expanding early childhood educator salaries and health care benefits, providing new equipment and funding renovations for child care centers in North Carolina:

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