Axios Charlotte

June 25, 2023
Happy Sunday, Charlotte. It's Katie.
- 🌞 Weather: 89 and mostly sunny.
- Happy birthday to Axios Charlotte members Mark Freedman, Allan Oxman and Danny Stewart.
Today's newsletter is 619 words, a 2½-minute read.
💰 1 big thing: Rising child care costs

Child care costs have surged by 220% since 1990, outpacing inflation, Axios' Astrid Galván reports.
- New data from the Annie E. Casey Foundation shows families have deeply struggled to afford care.
- In many cases, families have been forced to quit jobs to stay home with their child — especially if they are Latino, Black or live in poverty.
By the numbers: The average annual cost of child care for one child in 2021 nationally was $10,600, or one-tenth of a married couple's median income and more than one-third of a single parent's income.
- In North Carolina, child care cost on average was $9,116 — or 33% of the median income of single mothers in the state.
Driving the news: Child care providers in North Carolina anticipate hiking prices further and potentially cutting staff if lawmakers don't include millions of dollars for the industry in the 2023-2024 budget, the Observer reported.
- Pandemic-era federal grants that helped North Carolina child care centers stay afloat these last few years run out at the end of the year, I reported in April.
- Federal stabilization grants increased compensation for teachers, who for years have made as little as $12 an hour, and helped offset the rising cost of operating a child care center.
- So far, neither the House nor Senate budgets include new funding to offset costs when those grants end, the Observer noted.
Of note: The U.S. has historically treated child care as a private market instead of an essential government service, like K-12 public education, as The 19th News reported. The industry has therefore not received consistent government funding.
Zoom out: Gov. Roy Cooper and nine other Democratic governors signed a June 13 letter asking congressional leaders to maintain the current funding levels and increase recurring funds for child care as they draft their next budget bills, per The 19th News.
- "I'm worried that with these grants [expiring] we're going to fall off a cliff here — and we're going to make the problem that's there already even worse," Cooper told the outlet.
💼 Fresh openings from our Job Board
If you're on the hunt for a new job, here are 16 to get you started.
- Director of Communications for the College of Computing & Informatics at UNC Charlotte. Apply.
- Property Assistant at Northwood Office. Apply.
- Director of Development and Communications at Rebuilding Together of Greater Charlotte. Apply.
- Vice President of Development and Marketing at Sullenberger Aviation Museum. Apply.
- Internal Wholesaler at Grubb Properties. Apply.
- Director of Education and Programming at Sullenberger Aviation Museum. Apply.
- Office & Executive Assistant at Harker. Apply.
- Team Member – Coaching & Leading Character Programs in Schools at Apex Leadership Co. Apply.
- Bartenders/Barbacks at Bulldog Taproom/Social. Apply.
- Before and After School Care Teacher at British International School of Charlotte. Apply.
- Social Media Content Creator Intern at MODE. A Visual Agency, LLC. Apply.
- Director of Communications, College of Liberal Arts and Sciences at UNC Charlotte. Apply.
- Healthcare Recruiter at FlexCare Medical Staffing. Apply.
- Director of Action Research and Evaluation at Read Charlotte. Apply.
- Grades 2-3 Impact Manager at Read Charlotte. Apply.
- Technical Business Writer at Kenan Institute of Private Enterprise. Apply.
Want more opportunities? Check out all openings on our Job Board.
Hiring? Post a job.
2. ⚡️ Biz lightning round
Rendering courtesy of Goettsch Partners
Uptown Cabaret will close after July 1. The strip club's prominent building will be torn down to make way for a transformative two-tower development called Queensbridge Collective, between South End and Uptown. (Observer)
Coca-Cola Consolidated is investing $15 million to expand its regional remanufacturing center at the Monroe Corporate Center, per a statement from the Charlotte-based corporation.
2ULaundry, a Charlotte laundry and dry cleaning startup, is acquiring rival The Folde. The combined entity is positioned for more M&A, CEO Alex Smereczniak tells Axios. (Axios Pro)
Charlotte-based Watts Leaf Architects, PA, a boutique multi-family housing architecture studio, has been acquired by Kaas Wilson Architects, a national multi-family housing architecture firm based in Minnesota.
3. 🏅 Charlottean of the day: Phillip Blount
Courtesy of the Special Olympics World Games
Philip Blount of Charlotte won gold in the shot put finals at the Special Olympics World Games in Berlin on Thursday, according to a statement from the organization.
- Blount, who also has a second-degree black belt in Taekwondo, competed in the quarterfinals of the 100m competition, where he placed eighth.
- Way to go, Philip! 👏
Other athletes and coaches at the Special Olympics World Games:
- Erin Cagle of Wake County (artistic gymnastics)
- James Price of Davidson County (head bocce coach)
- Jake Harkey of Watauga County (head cycling coach)
🏡 We've been sifting through some data on Airbnb income in Charlotte and would love to hear from y'all.
- Do you rent out your place on platforms like Airbnb or Vrbo?
- What should people know before turning a house or condo into a short-term rental?
- Is it a good source of income? Would you recommend it?
Reply to this email. We might feature your feedback in an upcoming newsletter.
This newsletter was copy edited by Amy Stern.
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