Today, Lieutenant Governor Rachel Hunt released her initial policy platform, Future-Ready North Carolina. As some of the first issues she will focus on, the Lieutenant Governor will focus on tackling the child care and early childhood education crisis in North Carolina and champion strong investments in community colleges to bolster workforce development. These priorities will support the Lieutenant Governor’s vision of making North Carolina a better place to live, work, and raise a family.
“North Carolina’s future is bright but we have to make sure our people are trained and capable to take on the innovative and exciting new jobs coming to our state,” said Lieutenant Governor Hunt. “This plan will help us tackle the child care crisis and champion our strong community colleges to build a Future-Ready North Carolina.”
“Propel NC is a transformative initiative designed to expand opportunity, strengthen communities, and drive North Carolina’s economic growth,” said Jeff Cox, President of the North Carolina Community College System. “By investing in workforce training, student success, and educational access, it empowers our 58 community colleges to serve as engines of upward mobility and innovation. Lieutenant Governor Hunt’s commitment to visiting each college highlights the momentum behind this effort, and we appreciate her leadership in advocating for the vital role our colleges play in shaping the state’s future.”
“High-quality early childhood education is essential to North Carolina families as it makes it possible for parents to go to work and prepares children for success in school and life,” said Candace Witherspoon, Acting Director of the NCDHHS Division of Child Development and Early Education. “I am grateful for Lieutenant Governor Hunt’s leadership and excited that this is a top priority for our state. I look forward to working on real solutions that support the child care system and North Carolina’s children and families.”
“Expanding access to affordable, high-quality child care is one of the most important steps we can take toward strengthening our state’s workforce,” said Samantha Cole, child care business liaison at the NC Department of Commerce. “We are grateful for Lt. Governor Hunt’s work to make meaningful advancements on child care access and grow North Carolina’s economy.”
In order to make sure our state continues to be a leader in developing and attracting a skilled workforce, the Future-Ready North Carolina plan outlines three initial policy priorities for Lieutenant Governor Hunt.
TACKLING THE CHILD CARE CRISIS IN NORTH CAROLINA
Making Child Care Affordable: Renew and Expand the NC Tri-Share Program
While we have strong public education and job training programs, maintaining our skilled workforce means addressing the needs of skilled workers to keep them here after graduation – including making sure they have access to affordable and high-quality child care.
Launched in 2024, the NC Tri-Share pilot program allows hardworking parents in several counties who work at participating businesses to split the cost of child care evenly between themselves, their employer and state government. The pilot program is currently set to expire at the end of 2026.
Lieutenant Governor Hunt will build and lead a coalition of business leaders, families and policymakers to make child care more affordable by renewing and expanding the pilot NC Tri-Share program.
Strengthening Child Care Workforce: Expanding Community College Training Centers
Despite state government providing funding for community colleges to establish on-site child care services, only 13 of 58 community colleges provide this program and four more have shuttered their programs in recent years. The 2023 state budget provided additional funding for this initiative but much of it is not set to renew for the next budget.
Lieutenant Governor Hunt will champion an expansion of Child Care Training Centers in our community colleges to strengthen experiential programs for child care professionals and increase options for students and working families.
EXPANDING CAREER PATHWAYS TO STRENGTHEN NORTH CAROLINA’S WORKFORCE
North Carolina’s strong public schools have career readiness programs that start as early as fifth grade continuing through high school graduation to help students develop durable skills and align their studies with individual talents and interests.
These programs give them hands-on experience with potential careers the closer they get to graduation. This type of transition is critical to prepare our workforce with the rapid pace of innovation across all fields and industries.
Lieutenant Governor Hunt will champion the expansion of career planning and placement programs to communities across the state.
CHAMPION NORTH CAROLINA’S STRONG COMMUNITY COLLEGES
North Carolina’s community colleges provide our people with the most value in preparing for a career and our state the most value in recruiting good-paying jobs. Lieutenant Governor Hunt will launch a tour to visit all 58 community colleges across the state and hear directly how the state can better support their work and highlight their strong programs. During each visit, the Lieutenant Governor will highlight unique programs focused on workforce development and meet with local employers and community leaders to enhance partnership and collaboration.
Lieutenant Governor Hunt will champion Propel NC, the proposed new funding model for North Carolina’s community colleges that incentivizes funding programs to meet workforce demand.
Read the Future-Ready North Carolina plan here.
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