Statement on Child Care Center Closures in Western North Carolina | Eastern NC Now

Press Release:

    RALEIGH     This week, Southwestern Child Development announced it will be closing seven child care centers in North Carolina's westernmost counties effective Oct. 31, 2023. Combined, these early care and learning programs serve nearly 300 children from birth through 5 years old, the majority of whom receive child care subsidy or NC Pre-K services. Southwestern, county departments of social services and NCDHHS are working with other area child care providers, Head Start programs and local public schools to ensure as many children as possible continue to have access to quality early care and learning.

    In response to the closures, Ariel Ford, Director of the NCDHHS Division of Child Development and Early Education issued the following statement.

    These closures are devastating to children, families and communities who rely on child care to nurture their children's healthy development and learning, allow parents to work and support their families, and keep local businesses running. Across North Carolina, we're seeing a growing crisis of a lack of child care access and increased financial pressures driven by the need for competitive wages and increasing supply costs.

    Without access to additional funding, more child care centers could face closure. Unfortunately, the budget passed by the legislature did not include significant new funding for childcare. State health officials join Governor Cooper in urging the General Assembly to make this child care crisis a priority.

• NC Department of Health and Human Services
• 2001 Mail Service Center
• Raleigh, NC 27699-2001
• Ph: (919) 855-4840
• news@dhhs.nc.gov