NORTH CAROLINA, March 21 - Today, Governor Roy Cooper toured Dawnsha’s Loving Childcare #2 in Greenville and highlighted his recommended budget investments in child care to support children, families and businesses. The Governor’s budget, First in Opportunity, would invest $1.5 billion in new funding for child care and early childhood education.

“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,” said Governor Cooper. “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.”

“Access to affordable high-quality child care is essential to North Carolina’s economy and our future”, said Secretary of Health & Human Services, Kody H. Kinsley. “It allows parents to work, supporting our state’s economic growth and keeping our businesses running and provides a strong foundation to ensure children are successful in school and life.”

Gov. Cooper’s recommended budget would invest $500 million for child care stabilization grants to help maintain our access to affordable early childhood education. It also includes $200 million to increase child care subsidy rates in rural and lower wealth communities.

“The stabilization grants has allowed childcare providers the opportunity to be able to offer staff a pay increase and monthly bonuses,” said Dawn Cox, Director of Dawnsha’s Loving Childcare Center #2. “As child care providers, we want to be the best and employ the best to teach our children.”

More than $800 million in NC Child Care Stabilization Grants have been distributed to 4,300 child care centers across the state.

Dawnsha’s Loving Childcare has two centers in Greenville and is preparing to open a third center. The center used NC Child Care Stabilization Grants to provide staff with raises and bonuses, purchase new outdoor toys and make repairs on the building.

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