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Cumberland County Proposes Expanding Child Care to City Workers, Summer Programs
North CarolinaGDELTGDELT event0% biasedFri, May 29, 2026, 12:00 AM
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Cumberland County Proposes Expanding Child Care to City Workers, Summer Programs.Cumberland County Proposes Expanding Child Care to City Workers, Summer Programs Cumberland County officials pitched a plan to open the county’s employee child care center to Fayetteville city workers.Assistant County Manager Faith Phillips laid out the idea during a joint… Cumberland County officials pitched a plan to open the county's employee child care center to Fayetteville city workers.Assistant County Manager Faith Phillips laid out the idea during a joint meeting between the Fayetteville City Council and Cumberland County Board of Commissioners on May 19.The pitch also adds summer care at the site.County leaders plan to bring this request to the Board of Commissioners' meeting in June.No action has been taken.As of May of this year, the center has 18 children enrolled despite having a capacity for 135, Phillips said.The program opened in 2024 and is still growing its enrollment base through newsletters, emails, and open houses."We are seeing enrollment increase as awareness expands and families become familiar with the program," County Manager Clarence Grier said."Rather than building for immediate maximum occupancy, we intentionally created a resource that can meet current needs while also supporting future workforce growth." A 2026 report by Beverly, a company that provides childcare solutions, found that Cumberland County is a "childcare desert." The research shows that for every 100 working-parent kids, only 26.7 licensed slots are available.The site holds a 4-star rating through the North Carolina Division of Child Development and Early Education.Data shows 120 out of 171 childcare centers in the county are rated 4 stars or above.This rating depends on staff education and program standards.Monthly costs range from $656 for school-age care to $971 for infant care.The Beverly report found that typical infant care in the area costs about $11,015 each year.That's $917.90 per month and more than $6,000 below the national median.Staffing depends on enrollment numbers and program demand, Phillips said.The center follows North Carolina's staff-to-child ratios, which range from 1:5 for infants under 12 months to 1:25 for children 5 years and older.Phillips said the site is working with Fayetteville Technical Community College's Early Childhood Education program to build a pipeline of future childcare professionals.The center is also interviewing and hiring educators to support program expansion, which includes summer care opportunities.By including city employees, officials hope to strengthen partnerships between the county and city while expanding childcare resources for workers.