Serving Boone, Blowing Rock, Banner Elk, and other towns of the North Carolina High Country
Founded 05-05-05

Childcare Crisis in Watauga County

Two Centers May Close Within Next Two Months

Story by Kathleen McFadden

Children’s Council Executive Director Jennifer Wilson-Kearse appeared before the Watauga County Board of Commissioners on April 2 to discuss a growing problem with childcare availability in the county.

According to Wilson-Kearse, two childcare centers that serve approximately 55 families may have to close within the next two months. One center is for sale and has not found a buyer; the other is losing its lease June 30 and has been unable to find a new space.

These closings will contribute to an already-difficult childcare situation in the county, Wilson-Kearse said.

Last year, the Children’s Council received 427 queries about childcare availability, 47 percent of them for infants and toddlers. In 2006, Wilson-Kearse said, only 18 openings for infants and toddlers were available.

“There is a huge need for more childcare,” she told the commissioners.

Wilson-Kearse told the board that Watauga County has 1,883 children who are birth to age 5, and 36 percent of them are in regulated childcare compared to the state average of 26.4 percent.

In her presentation, Wilson-Kearse discussed the connection between quality preschool programs and a child’s future success, as well as the economic impact of childcare in Watauga County.

The total direct economic impact of the childcare industry is $28.5 million, she said. The total gross income of parents with children in childcare is $26.5 million, and those parent workers pay almost $8 million in local, state and federal taxes.

“We need to think of childcare as an essential part of the infrastructure,” she said.

In addition to availability, the cost of childcare is another issue for parents. The average cost of childcare in the county is $525 per month, Wilson-Kears said, an amount representing 43 percent of a retail or service worker’s income.

Among the possible solutions Wilson-Kearse suggested are establishing a county-operated childcare facility, providing a building for a childcare center that the Children’s Council could administer and providing a childcare center at the new high school so teenagers who give birth do not have to drop out of school because they cannot find or afford childcare.

County Manager Rocky Nelson pointed out that the county exited the childcare business several years ago because of complaints from private providers that the county was receiving the majority of childcare subsidy monies. Nelson also pointed out, “There’s not any money to be made in daycare if the government runs it.”

Board Chair Jim Deal asked Nelson to discuss the problem with the Department of Social Services and with the High Country Council of Governments and to report back to the board at a future meeting.