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Survey finds NC child care programs face critical staffing shortages

Research for the survey was conducted by Well World Solutions to better understand the staffing challenges currently facing North Carolina child care centers on behalf of the North Carolina Child Care Resource and Referral Council, with funding from the Blue Cross and Blue Shield of North Carolina Foundation. Graph courtesy of the North Carolina Child Care Resource and Referral Council. Screenshot: KERI BROWN/WFDD

A new survey highlights the struggles North Carolina child care providers are facing as the state continues to recover from the pandemic.

Many say they're having a difficult time hiring and retaining qualified staff.

The North Carolina Child Care Resource and Referral Council worked with other groups to look at challenges child care providers are facing.

There were already concerns before the pandemic about low wages for workers, not having enough programs to meet needs, and the struggle to make services affordable. And it's getting worse.

According to the report —which represents 1,200 child care centers — the problems aren't divided along rural/urban lines.

Some of the key findings: on average, centers were currently looking to hire two to seven people. And some providers have abruptly closed their doors.

“We have more children who need child care than we have the ability to provide child care right now. We have child care centers that have closed classrooms and children on waiting lists because they don't have enough staff," says Sheila Hoyle, who is part of the council and serves as executive director of the Southwestern Childhood Development Commission.

Gov. Roy Cooper recently announced more than $800 million in federal COVID relief funding to help stabilize the industry. The application process recently opened for providers.

Hoyle says it's a temporary fix, but it's a big boon for many child care centers. She hopes the survey will spark more conversation from community stakeholders, government officials and employers to find long-term solutions.

Follow WFDD's Keri Brown on Twitter @kerib_news   

Keri Brown is a multi-award winning reporter and host at 88.5 WFDD. She has been honored with two regional Edward R. Murrow awards for her stories about coal ash, and was named the 2015 radio reporter of the year by the Radio Television Digital News Association of the Carolinas (RTDNAC).Although she covers a variety of topics, her beats are environmental and education reporting.Keri comes to the Triad from West Virginia Public Broadcasting, where she served as the Chief Bureau Reporter for the Northern Panhandle. She produced stories for the state's Public Television and Radio programs and was honored by the West Virginia Associated Press Broadcasters Association for her feature and enterprise reporting.She also served as an adjunct instructor at Wheeling Jesuit University and Bethany College in West Virginia. She worked with the Center for Educational Technologies in Wheeling, WV, and other NASA centers across the country to develop several stories about the use of science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) concepts in the classroom.Keri's journalism career began at WTRF-TV 7 in Wheeling. She worked in several roles at the station, including the head assignment editor. She also was a field producer and assignment manager at WPGH-TV Fox 53 in Pittsburgh.Keri is a graduate of Ohio University. When she's not in the studio or working on a story, she enjoys watching college football with her family, cooking, and traveling.Keri is always looking for another great story idea, so please share them with her. You can follow her on Twitter @kerib_news.

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