North Carolina releases new ECE workforce study
Read the 2023 Workforce Study
Read the Executive Summary for the 2023 Workforce Study
The pandemic exacerbated what has been a long-in-the-making national child care crisis. At
the heart of the problem is a flawed and unsustainable funding model where it is impossible
to recoup the true cost of the services provided. As the Working in Early Care and Education
in North Carolina: 2023 Workforce Study shows, this flawed model drives down pay and
makes it difficult to recruit and retain providers.
The Division of Child Development and Early Education in partnership with Child Care Services Association has released the latest statewide study of the early care and education workforce. Top findings from the report include:
- The early childhood workforce often earns too little to meet their basic needs.
- More teachers are leaving their jobs and many plan to leave the field altogether.
- Child care stabilization grants likely reduced the loss of child care centers during this time period. However, there was a significant decrease in family home providers.
- Many teachers are highly educated, but overall have fewer years of education than in 2019.
- Most teachers are female and disproportionately Black/African American.