Child Care

As the NC Chamber’s long-term planning and research center, the NC Chamber Foundation addresses the most critical and difficult challenges and opportunities ahead for North Carolina. Our data-driven agenda ensures North Carolina continues to stay ahead of critical issues and achieves measurable improvement across all areas of national and global competitiveness.

One of the most essential factors for North Carolina’s economic success is attracting and retaining talent. A key component of that is access to quality, affordable child care for our workforce.

• In 2023, the NC Chamber Foundation released findings of its statewide survey conducted among North Carolinian voters to understand their child care experiences, the impact it is having on their ability to work, and their understanding and support for child care.
• In 2024, the US Chamber Foundation selected North Carolina for its Untapped Potential series, which has previously measured the economic impact of child care breakdowns in twelve other states.
• In 2025, the NC Chamber Foundation released a report on potential strategies to expand the supply of accessible, affordable, high-quality child care in North Carolina. In seeking workable, employer-focused solutions for consideration in North Carolina, the NC Chamber Foundation examined child care policies in 28 states with similar population growth and governance, as well as recommendations from North Carolina organizations and recent state and local actions. The report details eleven strategies to expand child care supply and support working families in the state.

North Carolinians see a child care crisis—and it is negatively impacting the state’s economy. Click below to review the research.