Seven childcare centers to close in WNC
A slew of childcare centers in the region will be closing by the end of the month, leaving the families of about 300 children with the difficult task of obtaining childcare on short notice at a time when access is limited.
“As a non-profit agency, we have asked for additional funding from our government funders, and this has not been granted to us at this time,” Sheila Hoyle, executive director of Southwestern Child Development Commission, told The Smoky Mountain News. “At this time, we have no choice but to close our childcare programs.”
Last week, the commission announced it would close seven childcare centers in North Carolina’s westernmost counties, effective Oct. 31. Within the Smoky Mountain News’ four-county coverage area, there are two centers affected by the decision — St. John’s Early Education and Preschool in Haywood County and Webster Early Education and Preschool in Jackson County. Five centers are closing in Cherokee, Clay and Graham counties.
Combined, these childcare centers serve nearly 300 children from birth through 5 years old. Most of these families receive childcare subsidies through the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services.
“Southwestern centers are currently operating in deficit,” said Hoyle. “Southwestern feels that childcare fees are as high as parents should be asked to pay. Our staff are not highly paid, and we can’t reduce staff wages. As a non-profit agency, we have asked for additional funding from our government funders and this has not been granted to us, at this time. We have used all agency resources that we have available to keep our centers open, until other funding could be received.”
In a statement, Hoyle explained that Southwestern Child Care centers serve a high number of children who are eligible for North Carolina’s Subsidized Child Care Program. Because reimbursement policies from the North Carolina Division of Child Development and Early Education are not high enough, the agency has had to supplement the state rate to keep its childcare centers open.
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“We no longer have adequate agency resources to supplement the state rate,” Hoyle said. “New county market rates were implemented on Oct. 1, and these rates offered only small support or improvement to the rural counties of Region A. This is a sad decision for our agency, as providing direct childcare services to the young children in Region A is at the heart and soul of our work.”
The closures come just weeks after the North Carolina General Assembly passed the state budget . In 2021, the North Carolina childcare system received a stabilization grant through the American Rescue Plan to help keep centers open. This grant allowed them to provide tuition assistance for families as well as salaries and benefits for childcare workers. Rather than extend the North Carolina Child Care Stabilization Grant, the budget used the remaining federal funds to extend compensation grants from December 2023 to June 2024.
“Without access to additional funding, more childcare centers could face closure. Unfortunately, the budget passed by the legislature did not include significant new funding for childcare,” said Ariel Ford, director of the NCDHHS Division of Child Development and Early Education. “State health officials join Governor Cooper in urging the General Assembly to make this childcare crisis a priority.”
Hoyle says she sees a trend in which public policy makers, government, foundations, business operators and employers of all kinds fail to understand that “childcare is the workforce behind the workforce.”
“How can our state and nation not recognize that failing to fund quality early childhood education programs will yield devastating results?” Hoyle asked. “When leaders make direct investments into early childhood programs, everybody wins. The economy wins, parents win, young children who are in high quality early learning settings win.”
According to Hoyle, the most severe impact on families will be the possibility of not finding another childcare placement because the supply of childcare in Western North Carolina is less than the demand.
“Southwestern is currently working with our community early education providers to locate vacancies in our area’s childcare programs,” said Hoyle. “Southwestern has had a very positive response from other early childhood providers who are willing to try to re-arrange classrooms or open classrooms that have been recently temporarily closed due to staffing shortages.”
Southwestern also aims to host job fairs in some areas so that childcare teachers who are losing jobs but want to continue in the childcare profession can connect with other childcare employers.
“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,” said Ford. “Across North Carolina, we’re seeing a growing crisis of a lack of childcare access and increased financial pressures driven by the need for competitive wages and increasing supply costs .”
