Local business and community leaders convened on Aug. 7 for the Business & Child Care Summit, where they examined how North Carolina’s child care crisis is stinting workforce participation, straining employers and costing Moore County an estimated $43.5 million annually.

During the Summit at the Carolina Hotel in Pinehurst, business and early childhood leaders agreed that child care is not simply a family issue – it is essential economic infrastructure that directly affects employers' ability to recruit and retain workers.

The Summit featured a panel including Julie Voigt, Chief of Staff, Sandhills Community College; Jermonica Lindsey, Director, Shining Stars Child Development Center; Jonathan Davis, CEO, FirstHealth of the Carolinas and President, Moore Regional Hospital; Hailey Caulder, Owner, Pink of the Pines. Kristi Maida, director of the statewide ExCEL NC business coalition, moderated the discussion.

“If parents can’t find care, businesses can’t find employees and everyone is stressed,” said boutique owner Caulder, according to a press release. “Child care is an infrastructure problem.”

North Carolina's child care crisis costs the state an estimated $5.65 billion each year, including $4.29 billion in lost business activity caused by absenteeism and employee turnover.

Businesses in Moore Co. lose out on $33.5 million every year because of the lack of affordable and accessible child care options. In the last year alone, more than 5,700 area workers faced employment disruptions. The county also misses out on $5.3 million and $4.7 million in state and local taxes annually because of the crisis. The losses total $43.5 million annually.

Panelists shared how child care shortages affect employers across industries, from retail and hospitality to education and healthcare.

Davis of FirstHealth of the Carolinas and Moore Regional Hospital noted that some parents leave the workforce to start a family with plans to return, but aren’t able to. “Someone like that could come into the workforce and be a productive member of any organization,” he said. “A lot of those individuals … want to get back in the workforce but can’t because of (child care) affordability and access.”

ExCEL NC convenes executives statewide to advance early childhood policies that strengthen workforce participation and economic growth. Summit participants recognized the child care provisions recently approved by the General Assembly and signed into law by Governor Josh Stein, including the creation of a statewide child care subsidy reimbursement floor.

The new reimbursement floor will help stabilize child care providers by bringing subsidy rates closer to the actual cost of delivering care, particularly in rural communities where many programs have operated under significant financial strain.

“Families can’t go to work if they don’t have a safe place to send their children,” said Lindsey of Shining Stars Child Development Center. “We have over 300 on our waiting list.” 

Business leaders said the legislation represents meaningful progress while emphasizing that continued investment in North Carolina's child care system will be critical to meeting workforce needs and supporting long-term economic growth.

Economic modeling shows the reform could increase North Carolina’s GDP by more than $252 million, boost personal income by $161.4 million, and support approximately 4,030 jobs statewide, including more than 3,200 child care jobs.

Research shows that addressing North Carolina’s child care crisis could generate as much as $7.5 billion in additional GDP and support up to 60,000 new jobs statewide.