北卡民调：托儿服务成跨党派可负担性与劳动力重大议题
10 月 6 日发布的一项全州民调显示，托儿服务已成为北卡罗来纳州家庭跨党派的重大关切，与住房、医疗并列为可负担性与劳动力的头号议题。据 EdNC 报道，调查显示两党选民普遍认同该州托儿体系正陷入危机。
民调发现，多数有年幼儿童的家长表示托儿费用是沉重的经济负担，许多人因找不到或负担不起托儿服务而被迫减少工时甚至辞职。与此同时，雇主也将托儿短缺列为招聘与留人的障碍。
倡导组织指出，随着疫情期间联邦资金耗尽，北卡罗来纳州托儿项目正面临资金悬崖，可能导致教室关闭与教师裁员。民调显示，两党选民都强烈支持州政府增加托儿补贴与教师薪酬投入。
调查结果预计将影响下一届州议会会期的辩论，两党议员均已表示有意推动托儿立法。商界团体也加入呼吁行列，将托儿服务定性为经济竞争力议题。
（来源：EdNC）
Statewide Poll: Child Care a Top Bipartisan Affordability and Workforce Issue in North Carolina
A new statewide poll released October 6 finds that child care is a major bipartisan concern for North Carolina families, ranking alongside housing and health care as a top affordability and workforce issue, EdNC reported. The survey shows broad agreement across party lines that the state's child care system is in crisis.
The poll found that a majority of parents with young children say child care costs are a significant financial strain, and many report cutting work hours or leaving jobs because they cannot find or afford care. Employers, meanwhile, cite child care shortages as a drag on hiring and retention.
Advocates say North Carolina's child care programs face a funding cliff as pandemic-era federal dollars run out, threatening classroom closures and teacher layoffs. The poll found strong bipartisan support for increased state investment in child care subsidies and teacher pay.
The findings are expected to shape debate in the next legislative session, where lawmakers from both parties have signaled interest in child care legislation. Business groups have joined the push, framing child care as an economic competitiveness issue.
(Source: EdNC)
图片来源：图：位于罗利的北卡罗来纳州议会大厦。摄影：P. Hughes，CC BY 4.0，来源：Wikimedia Commons
