Yesterday, Lieutenant Governor Rachel Hunt underscored the importance of child care facilities in North Carolina’s future while touring Providence Preparatory School in Charlotte, a stop on her Future-Ready Child Care Tour, which aims to tackle the child care crisis in the state. “Our children are our future and the availability of quality, affordable child care is essential to North Carolina’s success today and tomorrow,” Hunt emphasized during her visit, reports confirm from the Lieutenant Governor’s office press release.
During the engagement, Hunt met with educators and Sandy Weathersbee, the owner of the preparatory school, to discuss strategies for preparing families for success, Weathersbee shared her perspective saying, “Quality early education is not only essential infrastructure, but a major catalyst for economic development,” pointing out the necessity of child care and early education in fostering a competent workforce and attracting economic development, reflected in statements obtained by the Lieutenant Governor’s office.
Significantly, last month’s insights from the Task Force on Child Care and Early Education have given rise to six recommendations aimed at enhancing the affordability, accessibility, and sustainability of child care in North Carolina, with Lieutenant Governor Hunt serving as a Co-Chair alongside Senator Jim Burgin. The task force identified strengths and gaps in the system and is focused on amplifying both public and private investments, as well as bolstering workforce recruitment and retention in the child care space, as explained in the Lieutenant Governor’s office press release…