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HB 951

State Owned Structures (SOS) Child Care Act.

2025-2026 Session Introduced by Eric Ager and 13 co-sponsors

HB 951 seeks to expand on-site childcare for state employees and first responders by using underused state buildings, funding pilots, and studying campus availability.

Passed 1st Reading
0
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Bill Summary · HB 951

HB 951 — “SOS (State Owned Structures) Child Care Act”

Status: Passed First Reading (House). Introduced: (filed) 2024–2025 session.

Purpose

HB 951 directs North Carolina state agencies to expand and prioritize on‑site child care by (1) studying and repurposing underused State‑owned buildings for child care for State employees; (2) requiring large State building projects to include child care or adult day care when appropriate; (3) establishing pilot programs for on‑site child care for State employees and third‑shift child care for first responders; (4) funding feasibility studies for on‑site child care at community colleges and UNC campuses; and (5) creating a workgroup to examine streamlining licensure requirements for commercial child care physical facilities.

Key provisions

  • Department of Administration study: By March 31, 2026, report on feasibility of using obsolete/underutilized State‑owned buildings for child care (locations, upfit costs to meet licensing, asbestos/lead remediation estimates, barriers).
  • Construction/renovation requirement: Any State new‑build or renovation project with a budget > $5,000,000 that would employ > 250 people must include a child care center or adult day care center, unless inclusion would delay the project by ≥ 6 months or increase cost by ≥ 10%.
  • State employee on‑site pilot (Division of Child Development and Early Education, DCDEE):
    • Contract with private commercial child care providers to establish three child care centers on underutilized State property.
    • Priority to small operators (those with ≤ 5 facilities).
    • Contracts must require an apprenticeship program operated jointly with a university or community college early childhood program; centers must maintain the apprenticeship while housed on State property.
    • State provides upfit costs at customary levels and rent‑free use of space (notwithstanding G.S. 146‑29.1); leases approved per G.S. 146‑27.
    • Appropriation: $5,000,000 from the General Fund for FY 2025–2026 to establish these centers.
    • Asbestos/lead remediation: eligible for reimbursement from the Asbestos and Lead Remediation Fund up to $500,000 (subject to fund rules).
    • Report due April 1, 2027 on pilot status, enrollment, expenditures, successes/challenges.
  • Third‑shift child care pilot for first responders:
    • $6,000,000 appropriation (General Fund, FY 2025–2026) to DHHS for county grants to establish third‑shift child care; priority for county‑owned unused/underutilized buildings.
    • Report due April 1, 2027 on pilot implementation.
  • Community college and UNC campus studies:
    • State Board of Community Colleges: study feasibility of publicly available child care on every community college campus (priority enrollment for employees and students); report by March 31, 2026.
    • Appropriation: $100,000 to the Community Colleges System Office for the study (effective July 1, 2025).
    • (Bill text also references similar feasibility work for UNC campuses.)
  • Workgroup: establishes a group to examine streamlining licensure requirements for physical structures used by commercial child care facilities (details in bill text).

Who is affected

  • State employees (priority access to on‑site care); first responders (third‑shift care); students and employees at community colleges and UNC campuses.
  • State agencies: Department of Administration, DHHS, DCDEE, State Board of Community Colleges, Community Colleges System Office.
  • Commercial child care providers (particularly small operators), higher education partners (for apprenticeship programs), and county governments (as grant applicants/operators).

Fiscal impact & timing

  • Direct appropriations: $5,000,000 (DCDEE pilot), $6,000,000 (third‑shift grants), $100,000 (community college study). Up to $500,000 possible reimbursement from remediation fund.
  • Several provisions effective July 1, 2025 (appropriations); reporting deadlines: March 31, 2026 (DoA study and community college study) and April 1, 2027 (pilot reports).

Notes / Potential impacts

  • Aims to increase childcare supply on public property, reduce costs for operators (rent‑free space/upfit), and create apprenticeship pipelines for the early childhood workforce.
  • Implementation will require coordination across multiple agencies, lease approvals per state law, and oversight of apprenticeship and licensing compliance.
  • Pilot outcomes and feasibility studies are intended to inform potential scaling or policy adjustments.

Compiled from official sources — confirm details with the bill’s official record.

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