More than three weeks after Hurricane Helene struck western North Carolina in what Gov. Cooper has called "the deadliest and most devastating storm" in North Carolina's history, things are still far from normal for families across twenty-five counties. 

People are still missing and hundreds of roads remain closed, while thousands of our neighbors remain without power or water. Normalcy is missing for so many children as they wait for their child care centers and schools to reopen, and parents are struggling to return to work without access to care.

This Thursday North Carolina lawmakers are heading back to Raleigh to vote on hurricane relief funds, and it’s essential that they hear that funding for child care recovery must be part of that package. 

Child care is an essential piece of Western North Carolina’s recovery and rebuilding efforts—first responders, business owners, working families all need it to keep these local economies going. Child care programs need funds to repair or replace facilities, and continue to pay teachers, and meet operating costs on the path to reopening and stabilizing. With a shortage of child care teachers already, we must prioritize preserving this existing workforce.

But the child care system requires public investments now. MomsRising joins our partners at the Western North Carolina Early Childhood Coalition (WNC ECC) in supporting the Division of Child Development and Early Education’s (DCDEE) request of $30 million as a starting point in aiding Western NC child care programs in this time of crisis.

The severe shortage of affordable, accessible child care in Western North Carolina—compounded by the devastating impact of Hurricane Helene—is too big for any one family or employer to address on their own - it needs sustained investments that meet the needs of our children, parents, and communities. 

Western NC communities need immediate relief investments in early child care programs: the legislature needs to act and appropriate funding as soon as possible.

If you live in North Carolina, please take a moment right now to send your lawmaker a note urging them to stand with the families of Western North Carolina and support desperately needed child care recovery funds now. We’ve made it super easy to take action by clicking here. 

The people of Western North Carolina have weathered so much these past few weeks and the road to recovery is long. Please join us as we continue to stand with our neighbors and let them know we’re in this together.