North Carolina Governor Josh Stein announced that applications open on Sept. 14 for a $20 million fund to expand childcare on community college and university campuses in counties affected by Hurricane Helene and Tropical Storm Debby. The funding is part of a federal grant awarded to North Carolina for childcare recovery in disaster-affected areas.
“Today marks a step forward in creating opportunity for children and restoring stability for families in areas hit the hardest by these devastating storms,” Stein said. “This child care funding will open the doors to new centers to support families, the workforce, and local economies across western North Carolina and the Piedmont.”
More than 230 childcare centers were affected by Helene, and more than 100 in central and eastern parts of the state were affected by Tropical Storm Debby in 2024, according to state officials. By March of last year, 10 childcare centers in the west remained closed or were operating from temporary locations.
The grant funds can be used to build new centers and renovate older centers, with state officials seeing higher education campuses as ideal locations to expand childcare options on public land.
“North Carolina relies on high-quality, affordable early child care to support children’s healthy development, enable parents to work, and keep businesses running,” said NC Health and Human Services Secretary Dev Sangvai. “This investment to expand on-site child care to college campuses will reduce barriers for students, faculty, and the surrounding communities, allowing them to learn and work knowing their children are safe and receiving high-quality education and care.”
On top of the $20 million for increasing child care on community college and university campuses, an additional $55 million in federal funding is expected to support recovery payments to eligible providers, salary supplements for early-childhood educators, disaster preparedness efforts, and mental health resources.
