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Providing a Boost to the Childcare Industry & the Workforce Behind the Workforce · Mind Your Business - A Podcast Series produced by the Boone Area Chamber of Commerce

• 0:00
  SPEAKER_02: A landmark childcare partnership arrived in the high country this week, one designed to stabilize two different workforces at once.
• 0:08
  SPEAKER_02: We'll tell you exactly how Tri-Share works and what it means for our community.
• 0:12
  SPEAKER_02: From the Boone Area Chamber of Commerce, this is Mind Your Business.
• 0:19
  SPEAKER_01: Mind Your Business.
• 0:20
  SPEAKER_01: Brought to you by Appalachian Commercial Real Estate, providing professional commercial real estate services.
• 0:26
  SPEAKER_01: Visit Appalachian CRE.com.
• 0:30
  SPEAKER_02: Hello and welcome into Mind Your Business.
• 0:31
  SPEAKER_02: I'm David Jackson, President and CEO of the Boone Area Chamber of Commerce.
• 0:36
  SPEAKER_02: Thanks once again for joining us here this week, whether on the airwaves of WATA here in Boone or as a subscriber of the podcast version of the program, which is made possible each week by our good friends at Appalachian Commercial Real Estate.
• 0:48
  SPEAKER_02: If you are not yet a subscriber, not a problem.
• 0:51
  SPEAKER_02: Just search for Mind Your Business wherever you get your podcast.
• 0:54
  SPEAKER_02: There you can gain access to full archives, occasional bonus content, extended episodes, and plenty more as we connect you with the business news that you can use from right here in the mountains of Western North Carolina.
• 1:12
  SPEAKER_02: Here in the high country, when we talk about workforce, we talk a lot about the people who show up every day to do the jobs that keep the community running.
• 1:20
  SPEAKER_02: Healthcare workers, educators, hospitality, huge industry here.
• 1:24
  SPEAKER_02: Those service professionals, restaurant workers, retail staff, you know the drill.
• 1:29
  SPEAKER_02: There's another workforce we talk a lot about on this program as well.
• 1:33
  SPEAKER_02: The workforce that without them, all of the other ones I mentioned fall apart.
• 1:38
  SPEAKER_02: We, of course, are talking about child care workers.
• 1:41
  SPEAKER_02: Two weeks ago on this program, that was the May 8th episode, for those of you keeping track, we sat down with Alicia Price, Chief Human Resources Officer at UNC Health Appalachian, and she walked us through something that had been in the works for quite a while.
• 1:56
  SPEAKER_02: A plan to help healthcare employees at UNC Health Appalachian access affordable, reliable child care here in the Boone area.
• 2:04
  SPEAKER_02: At that time, she could share the vision.
• 2:07
  SPEAKER_02: This week, that vision has a name, a structure, and two local partners who are ready to put it into practice.
• 2:13
  SPEAKER_02: On Friday, May 15th, the Boone Area Chamber of Commerce and UNC Health Appalachian held a press conference to officially announce their participation in the North Carolina Tri-Share Child Care Program, becoming the first health care system in Western North Carolina to do so.
• 2:28
  SPEAKER_02: We were there for this event.
• 2:29
  SPEAKER_02: We've got some audio to share with you.
• 2:32
  SPEAKER_02: This week on Mind Your Business, we are going to walk you through exactly how this program works, what it means for the child care centers that have signed on, what it means for a major regional employer like UNC Health Appalachian, and of course what it means for every working family in this county who has been trying to make the math work on quality childcare.
• 2:52
  SPEAKER_02: There are options for other employers to take part in this program.
• 2:57
  SPEAKER_02: And hopefully UNC Health Appalachian's visibility will lead those folks down the right path.
• 3:02
  SPEAKER_02: Here's the simple version of how Trash Air works.
• 3:05
  SPEAKER_02: Childcare is expensive.
• 3:06
  SPEAKER_02: For a working family, it can be one of the largest items in the monthly budget.
• 3:10
  SPEAKER_02: And in Watauga County, we know the data tells a stark story.
• 3:15
  SPEAKER_02: The average childcare worker here earns just over$30,000 a year, nearly$14,000 below the county average.
• 3:22
  SPEAKER_02: Families earning moderate incomes often earn too much to qualify for state subsidies, but not enough to comfortably absorb full child care costs on their own.
• 3:32
  SPEAKER_02: That gap has been bleeding workers out of this county and holding back employers for years.
• 3:37
  SPEAKER_02: The Tri-Share model takes that cost and splits it three ways.
• 3:41
  SPEAKER_02: One third paid by the employer, one third is covered by the state of North Carolina through the program, and the family covers the remaining third.
• 3:49
  SPEAKER_02: What that means in practice is that a family paying, say,$1,000 a month for child care may now only owe a little more than$350.
• 3:57
  SPEAKER_02: That, of course, is not a minor adjustment.
• 3:59
  SPEAKER_02: That's the difference between a working parent staying in the workforce or leaving it.
• 4:05
  SPEAKER_02: It's the difference between a hospital recruiting a nurse or losing that employee to another provider in the market with better benefits.
• 4:12
  SPEAKER_02: And for a child care center itself, it means more reliably filled seats, more stability in a business that runs on extremely thin margins.
• 4:22
  SPEAKER_02: This week we'll also tell you about something the Boone Area Chamber of Commerce Foundation announced alongside Friday's press conference, a new fall fundraising campaign to provide a direct one-time retention bonus to every childcare worker employed at a licensed facility here in Watauga County.
• 4:39
  SPEAKER_02: Three years in a row now, the foundation has used the fall season to do something specific and meaningful for this industry.
• 4:47
  SPEAKER_02: This year, that investment goes directly to the people that are doing the work.
• 4:52
  SPEAKER_02: And of course, before we close out the program today, we've got to update you on where things stand with the Blue Ridge Parkway.
• 4:58
  SPEAKER_02: Quite a bit of activity.
• 5:00
  SPEAKER_02: Openings, closings, debris removals will get you the latest on the Great American Outdoors Act construction corridor that's going on in our backyard and some changes coming there, along with the ongoing Hurricane Helene recoveries that are working further down south.
• 5:14
  SPEAKER_02: Memorial Day weekend, just days away now.
• 5:17
  SPEAKER_02: There's a lot happening on that road, and there are also some times where nothing is going to be happening construction-wise on that road.
• 5:24
  SPEAKER_02: So we want to make sure you've got all the details.
• 5:26
  SPEAKER_02: One final note before we head to break.
• 5:29
  SPEAKER_02: Earlier today, the chamber hosted its seventh annual Vision Northwest North Carolina Summit at the Watauga campus of Caldwell Community College and Technical Institute.
• 5:39
  SPEAKER_02: Transportation was this year's theme, how people move through the region, what the future of the gas tax means for road funding, and what comes next for infrastructure investments in Northwest North Carolina.
• 5:51
  SPEAKER_02: We look forward to sharing a full recap with you next week, right here on this program.
• 5:57
  SPEAKER_02: Let's take our first break of this week's show and get right into the details of Tri-Share after this.
• 6:02
  SPEAKER_02: You are listening to MindYour Business.
• 6:04
  SPEAKER_01: Appalachian Commercial Real Estate provides professional commercial real estate services in the Boone area.
• 6:10
  SPEAKER_01: They provide sales, leasing, consulting, and appraisal services to owners and users of commercial real estate.
• 6:16
  SPEAKER_01: For more information, go to their website at Appalachian CRE.com.
• 6:23
  SPEAKER_02: Welcome back to Mind Your Business.
• 6:24
  SPEAKER_02: I'm David Jackson.
• 6:26
  SPEAKER_02: Before we get into the details of Friday's big announcement, let's take a moment to recognize a business that has been showing up for this community's conversation around child care for years now.
• 6:37
  SPEAKER_02: That is James Milner, an Appalachian Commercial Real Estate.
• 6:40
  SPEAKER_02: They solve simple and complex commercial real estate problems in and around the Boone area and beyond.
• 6:46
  SPEAKER_02: Whether you own or lease commercial real estate, regardless of the property type, have an advocate on your side, along with the expertise and experience to assist you and your business.
• 6:55
  SPEAKER_02: For more information, check them out on the web, Appalachian CRE.com.
• 7:00
  SPEAKER_02: Friday's press conference held at Kid Cove Lynn Hill, right there on the playground.
• 7:06
  SPEAKER_02: It brought together UNC Health Appalachian, two local child care providers, Kid Cove Lynn Hill being one, the YMCA in Avery County being the other.
• 7:16
  SPEAKER_02: And then, of course, the state program partners were in attendance, making an announcement that was really about eight years of community conversation in the making.
• 7:25
  SPEAKER_02: Kid Cove at Lynn Hill here in Boone will hold 14 spots specifically for UNC Health employees under the Tri-Share Agreement.
• 7:33
  SPEAKER_02: The Hugh Chapman Early Learning Center in Avery County, which is housed at the YMCA, will hold another eight.
• 7:39
  SPEAKER_02: That means 22 families in our region now have a path to affordable quality childcare that simply did not exist for them before.
• 7:48
  SPEAKER_02: Let's hear from the people who made this happen.
• 7:50
  SPEAKER_02: First, Haley Hartley, owner of Kid Cove Lynn Hill, on what this partnership means for her centers and the families she serves.
• 7:58
  SPEAKER_06: I uh have never had a press conference on a playground either, but now we have, and it's just so exciting.
• 8:04
  SPEAKER_06: Um I kind of I want to speak more on where this conversation started, give you guys a little history.
• 8:10
  SPEAKER_06: Um it's just a really cool story how all of this has come about.
• 8:13
  SPEAKER_06: So today is an exciting day for our community because the Tri-Share partnership between KidCove, UNC Health Appalachian, and Hugh Chapman Early Learning Center represents something much bigger than childcare.
• 8:24
  SPEAKER_06: It represents investment in families, in workforce support, and in the future of our region.
• 8:29
  SPEAKER_06: When I created Kid Cove eight years ago, I created it with three groups in mind.
• 8:34
  SPEAKER_06: Of course, the children, the families behind those children, including my early childhood educators, and the community that has cared for and loved me so well since I was a little girl in childcare here.
• 8:45
  SPEAKER_06: I knew the community part of this puzzle would take a bit, but it has soared to heights I still cannot comprehend.
• 8:51
  SPEAKER_06: And yet here we are celebrating one more win for this beautiful county, counties.
• 8:56
  SPEAKER_06: Um last night, yes, I did write this speech last night, don't judge, um, I went down a rabbit hole of trying to figure out like where communication started with Alicia Price uh to do something about the childcare issue, you know, with the hospital and retention.
• 9:12
  SPEAKER_06: And so I went all the way back to January of 2024 in my emails, um, almost two and a half years ago, the conversation conversation began in a meeting about the future of child care options in Watauga County.
• 9:24
  SPEAKER_06: At the time, I was newly appointed to the Children's Council board, getting a fill for all things board related.
• 9:29
  SPEAKER_06: I thought I was big stuff being asked to be on a board.
• 9:32
  SPEAKER_06: And hello, now here we are.
• 9:34
  SPEAKER_06: Um Alicia Price, another board member at the time, spoke about the ongoing demand and conversation regarding hospital employees needing childcare to be able to come to work to Boone and work.
• 9:45
  SPEAKER_06: If anyone knows me, you know by now, someone needing childcare immediately had my wills turning.
• 9:51
  SPEAKER_06: The very next day, I emailed Alicia Children's with the Children's Council and I said, You've got to connect me to whoever this Alicia Price is.
• 9:59
  SPEAKER_06: So she did.
• 10:00
  SPEAKER_06: Um, for so for the past two and a half years, we have quite literally dreamed, envisioned, had plans, canceled plans, came up with more plans, um, roadblock after roadblock after roadblock, but we stuck with it.
• 10:13
  SPEAKER_06: And when you get two passionate women about something, it's gonna happen eventually.
• 10:18
  SPEAKER_06: Um, so in December, we had our NCXL meeting, bridging business leaders with childcare here in Boone.
• 10:23
  SPEAKER_06: Alicia and I had a light bulb moment of why are we waiting?
• 10:27
  SPEAKER_06: Like, let's just do something now.
• 10:29
  SPEAKER_06: We don't need a fancy facility, we don't need all this great big hoopla.
• 10:34
  SPEAKER_06: Let's just get this done.
• 10:35
  SPEAKER_06: I have spaces I will reserve for the hospital.
• 10:38
  SPEAKER_06: Let's just do it.
• 10:39
  SPEAKER_06: And so here we are a couple months later, and this partnership has become a reality.
• 10:43
  SPEAKER_06: Um, and we have kicked it off the ground and we are full steam ahead.
• 10:47
  SPEAKER_06: It's not only a win for us, but a win for our entire community.
• 10:51
  SPEAKER_06: Over the past year, I've also had the privilege of serving on Governor Stein's task force on childcare and early education as a provider voice.
• 10:58
  SPEAKER_06: The full the full task force report recently was published with outstanding recommendations for our state legislation to consider and implement through state funding and other resources of support.
• 11:09
  SPEAKER_06: I'd like to share a few quotes from the published report and how our new partnership with UNC Health checks off the boxes.
• 11:16
  SPEAKER_06: Governor Stein says, too many families in our state can't afford to work because childcare is expensive and in short supply.
• 11:22
  SPEAKER_06: I look forward to working with leaders in government and the private sector to turn these recommendations into results.
• 11:29
  SPEAKER_06: Doing so represents a win-win-win.
• 11:31
  SPEAKER_06: If it gets parents the freedom to work, kids the safe start they need, and employers the workforce necessary to keep North Carolina's economy thriving.
• 11:40
  SPEAKER_06: Check.
• 11:42
  SPEAKER_06: Lieutenant Governor Rachel Hunt says over the past year, the Task Force on Childcare and Early Education has focused on real practical ways to make child care more affordable and accessible in all 100 counties.
• 11:54
  SPEAKER_06: In the year ahead, we'll keep pushing that work forward and urging leaders in the General Assembly to treat childcare like the essential support for working families that it is.
• 12:04
  SPEAKER_06: Check.
• 12:05
  SPEAKER_06: Employers bringing well-paying jobs to North Carolina want to know our workforce is ready and able to fill them.
• 12:12
  SPEAKER_06: Childcare access is critical to ensuring skilled, talented North Carolinians can work, and it's key to helping employers achieve their goal.
• 12:20
  SPEAKER_06: And that was a quote by Secretary Lee Lilly.
• 12:22
  SPEAKER_06: Check.
• 12:24
  SPEAKER_06: We are checking boxes one by one with this partnership, and we aim to continue to do so.
• 12:29
  SPEAKER_06: At KidCove, we see every day how access to quality childcare impacts not only children, but employers, educators, healthcare workers, and entire communities.
• 12:38
  SPEAKER_06: When families have reliable childcare, they're able to show up fully for their jobs, their goals, and their families.
• 12:44
  SPEAKER_06: UNC Health Appalachian understands that supporting employees means supporting the whole family.
• 12:49
  SPEAKER_06: By working together, we are creating solutions that help working parents feel supported while ensuring children have access to safe, nurturing, high-quality early learning environments.
• 12:59
  SPEAKER_06: This partnership is also a reminder that childcare is not just a family issue.
• 13:04
  SPEAKER_06: It is an economic issue, a workforce issue, and a community issue.
• 13:08
  SPEAKER_06: When organizations come together with a shared vision, we create stronger outcomes for everyone.
• 13:14
  SPEAKER_06: We are incredibly grateful for the trust, collaboration, and commitment from UNC Health Appalachian, and we are proud to stand alongside them in building a healthier, stronger community for families here in the high country.
• 13:27
  SPEAKER_06: Thank you all for believing in this work, and thank you for being a part of this exciting step forward.
• 13:34
  SPEAKER_04: Thank you.
• 13:35
  SPEAKER_02: Haley has been building KidCove into something the High Country can count on now for years.
• 13:39
  SPEAKER_02: And what she just described is not only a benefit to families, it's a stabilizing force for her business.
• 13:45
  SPEAKER_02: When an employer like UNC Health Appalachian guarantees a set number of seats will be occupied by supported employees, that creates predictable, sustained enrollment.
• 13:56
  SPEAKER_02: That matters enormously for a child care center trying to maintain staff, manage payroll, and simply keep the lights on.
• 14:02
  SPEAKER_02: And until the General Assembly takes greater action in Raleigh, this is the only form of stabilization that has been made available to centers in this area.
• 14:12
  SPEAKER_02: Now, let's hear from Jessica Sullens, director of the Hugh Chapman Early Learning Center in Avery County about the impacts for her center.
• 14:20
  SPEAKER_04: Thank you guys all for being here.
• 14:21
  SPEAKER_04: This is such an important and close uh topic to my heart.
• 14:26
  SPEAKER_04: Being in a rural, rural community, it is hard to find quality childcare.
• 14:31
  SPEAKER_04: And thankfully, working at the Hugh Chapman Early Learning Center, we are able to do that.
• 14:38
  SPEAKER_04: We opened our doors on October 1st, 2025, with a six-month provisional license.
• 14:44
  SPEAKER_04: Due to the hard work and dedication by our qualified staff, our center became a five-star rate date licensed child care facility on March 1st of this year.
• 14:54
  SPEAKER_04: Since our doors have opened, we have prided ourselves on providing a safe and nurturing environment while incorporating a research-based and play-based curriculum that aligns directly with the North Carolina Foundations for Early Education and Development by the Creative Curriculum.
• 15:10
  SPEAKER_04: We currently serve 38 children, a large number that are in foster care need assistance, or both.
• 15:16
  SPEAKER_04: With this partnership, our plan is to be able to serve 45 families total.
• 15:21
  SPEAKER_04: We are located close to Canon Memorial Hospital in Linville, and because of that, this will give us the opportunity to aid in reducing the stress and worry about childcare, allowing employees to focus on patient care.
• 15:35
  SPEAKER_04: Without this stressor, there is potential to improve employee retention by addressing a critical work-life balance need and make the hospital system more competitive in hiring, especially in regions with high cost of living or limited child care options.
• 15:51
  SPEAKER_04: For the Hugh Chapman Early Learning Center specifically, this partnership with Tri-Share ensures that stable income is one more obstacle able to be cleared.
• 16:00
  SPEAKER_04: There are many challenges with operating a childcare facility, especially in a rural mountain community, and we cannot be more thankful for the partnership that will be able to or will enable us to continue serving the families that need us the most.
• 16:16
  SPEAKER_04: Since rural childcare centers often struggle because populations are smaller, enrollment fluctuates, operating costs remain high, and families may rely heavily on subsidies, entering a partnership like Tri-Share will establish a rural subsidy floor, thus creating a baseline funding guarantee, helping the YMCA to cover payroll, maintain staffing ratios, pay facility costs, and avoid closures during periods of low enrollment.
• 16:42
  SPEAKER_04: This is especially important because rural childcare centers often operate on very thin margins.
• 16:48
  SPEAKER_04: Simultaneously, with stable funding, the YMCA Childcare Center can increase access for families, working families by accepting more low-income or subsidy eligible families, keep tuition rates more affordable, and expand access for existential workers like nurses, hospital staff, teachers, and first responders.
• 17:10
  SPEAKER_04: In rural communities, losing one-day care center can create a child care crisis.
• 17:15
  SPEAKER_04: So subsidy protections help preserve access.
• 17:18
  SPEAKER_04: The Tri-Share partnership will allow two critical industries to work alongside one another to build a strong sense of community.
• 17:27
  SPEAKER_04: By providing care for the children of healthcare workers, our intent as an organization is to ensure that those within our community have access to programs and services that will enrich their lives and their families.
• 17:40
  SPEAKER_04: Families eligible for TriShare will be able to feel a deeper connection to their workplace and community resources, enhancing morale, loyalty, and a sense of belonging, which strengthens the overall hospit hospital family YMCA ecosystem.
• 17:56
  unknown: Thank you.
• 17:59
  SPEAKER_02: The Hugh Chapman Center serves one of the more rural parts of our region, of course, and what Jessica described speaks to something we talk about often on this program.
• 18:07
  SPEAKER_02: Solutions that work in one corner of the high country have to be designed to reach every corner.
• 18:12
  SPEAKER_02: Avery County's inclusion in this pilot is not an afterthought.
• 18:15
  SPEAKER_02: It's proof that this model scales beyond the Boone City limits and particularly supports the entire footprint of UNC Health Appalachian.
• 18:24
  SPEAKER_02: Now the employer's perspective.
• 18:36
  SPEAKER_00: It's an honor just to be talking about this today.
• 18:38
  SPEAKER_00: It really has been a long road, and um I'm I'm glad we're coming to a close.
• 18:43
  SPEAKER_00: Um our mission at UNC Health Appalachian is to is to serve top quality care to our patients that are residents, that are visitors.
• 18:52
  SPEAKER_00: It's it's been our mission for a long time.
• 18:54
  SPEAKER_00: We've done that very well.
• 18:56
  SPEAKER_00: Uh it it takes people to serve people.
• 18:58
  SPEAKER_00: I don't care how many Steven Spielberg movies you watch, it's it's always still gonna take people to serve people in this industry.
• 19:05
  SPEAKER_00: And sometimes we forget that the people that are taking care of those patients and and our neighbors and church members, well, they're people too.
• 19:14
  SPEAKER_00: They come with their own life challenges, they come with their their own family challenges and the barriers they have in their own lives.
• 19:21
  SPEAKER_00: And as a as an employer of any kind, it's it's our responsibility to to take a hard look at that, figure out what we're gonna do about those things.
• 19:29
  SPEAKER_00: Um people have to be pre employees of ours, team members have to be present and focused.
• 19:36
  SPEAKER_00: You know, and if they don't have the stability of their, you know, knowing their family is safe and taken care of, it's hard for them to be present and certainly they can't be focused.
• 19:46
  SPEAKER_00: And we picked up on that.
• 19:47
  SPEAKER_00: And I'm sure you're about to hear some numbers that better give examples to what we've been struggling with for some time.
• 19:52
  SPEAKER_00: It takes a while to build a culture, you know, and we've got a good culture of quality, but um, we're also trying to build a strong team as well.
• 20:00
  SPEAKER_00: Rural healthcare providers and really any business knows full well of what these scarcity and affordability challenges have been, which has created this long road, right?
• 20:09
  SPEAKER_00: It's been a long gravel road, actually, with bumps in it and and uh potholes, and it's been hard for us to maintain some of this.
• 20:16
  SPEAKER_00: And creativity was simply required in some form of an aligned partnership to make this happen.
• 20:22
  SPEAKER_00: I can't tell you how how hard it's been to try to make this thing work.
• 20:26
  SPEAKER_00: On the way in, I was I was saying whenever your your CFO and your human resources executive agree on something, it's got to be a really good idea.
• 20:34
  SPEAKER_00: You know, so um it it it's been good for us to talk through.
• 20:37
  SPEAKER_00: We're really grateful for the partnerships and for the the people that have paved the way for this to happen.
• 20:43
  SPEAKER_00: I know that's a big leap of faith, and uh, we hope we fulfill that as as uh as as well as what you expect.
• 20:49
  SPEAKER_02: When the largest health care employer in our region tells you that child care is a recruitment and retention barrier, and then backs up that statement with a financial commitment, you are watching something shift in the conversation.
• 21:01
  SPEAKER_02: Leaders in Wataga County have been discussing childcare as an economic development issue for over eight years now.
• 21:07
  SPEAKER_02: Nathan Nipper just put real dollars behind that framing.
• 21:11
  SPEAKER_02: And finally, Fred Hunter, director of program and business development for the NC Tri-Share program, talks about why partnership matters to the state and why other employers should be paying attention.
• 21:23
  SPEAKER_03: So it actually started in 23.
• 21:25
  SPEAKER_03: It was a slow start startup.
• 21:27
  SPEAKER_03: Um the program had to be created at that time.
• 21:30
  SPEAKER_03: It ran from 23 to 25.
• 21:32
  SPEAKER_03: It's been extended because of a slow startup.
• 21:36
  SPEAKER_03: Um, so you know, we're very um pleased to announce that it's also statewide.
• 21:40
  SPEAKER_03: It's not just state, it's not just in uh the piloted counties.
• 21:44
  SPEAKER_03: So TriShare is 100 counties, you know.
• 21:47
  SPEAKER_03: We're we're really trying to get that out there.
• 21:48
  SPEAKER_03: I came on board last year um to work with the hubs.
• 21:51
  SPEAKER_03: We have three hubs across the state.
• 21:53
  SPEAKER_03: We have uh Martin Pitt, Moore County in Cleveland, who's here, and um I work with hub to really really lift up the awareness around the program.
• 22:03
  SPEAKER_03: In TriShare we have approximately 23 employers in the program, about close to 50, um about 49 uh uh students or children in the program and about 28 working families that are in the program.
• 22:19
  SPEAKER_03: So there's a lot of capacity and so this is fabulous.
• 22:23
  SPEAKER_03: I mean this right here I came up from Raleigh because it's so exciting to hear you know you work and you work and you you want to hear that there's success.
• 22:32
  SPEAKER_03: There's things that people are getting what you're saying and and understanding it.
• 22:35
  SPEAKER_03: So um the program actually had to be developed first of all I mean it was a great idea by the uh general NC General Assembly um to have Tri-Share here in North Carolina but the program actually had to be put together it had to be um and and some of the I wasn't here so I can't take that credit but I can say that it had to be determined how is the program going to be um administered is there going to be a third party administrator to handle uh payments and an application system um that we utilize and and just really laying the program out and that took time there wasn't uh uh uh I guess there wasn't an idea that there was gonna be um a delay in getting all that ramped up but it had to get ramped up and then even once getting it ramped up this state is so huge with 100 counties I mean even though they started out with about I guess 15 counties or so as a pilot this count this it's it's such a huge program and it's such a um one last thing I'll say it's it's such a no-brainer in my opinion.
• 23:33
  SPEAKER_03: I mean you have the employer the family which is already paying and then the state kicking in another third um I mean our 60% of the program employee um what do you call the employers in the program are childcare providers they were the ones who got it they understood the business model they know they have razor thin margins they understand that um you know having the state kick in a third and an employer kick in a third that's like giving your employee a an instant raise if you think about that if if you were if someone were to um I'll say subsidize which is like the worst word ever but if someone subsidized your you know one of your your your mortgage or or something it's like getting an instant raise in your household so it's a huge deal.
• 24:18
  SPEAKER_02: That statewide context from Fred is worth sitting with Watauga County is simply not alone in this challenge.
• 24:25
  SPEAKER_02: This impacts all 100 counties throughout the state we may be among the first in Western North Carolina to demonstrate that Tri-Share can work in a rural community.
• 24:36
  SPEAKER_02: Watauga County misses out on an estimated eleven million dollars in annual economic impact because working age adults cannot secure or afford childcare.
• 24:46
  SPEAKER_02: Every employer in this county has a stake in solving that problem UNC Health Appalachian is the latest to step up we hope they are not the last information on the NC Tri-Share program and how employers can get involved will be linked at Boonechamber.com.
• 25:02
  SPEAKER_02: We'll step aside for another break when we come back another announcement from that press conference this one from the Boone Area Chamber of Commerce Foundation will tell you all about it next you are listening to Mind Your Business.
• 25:15
  SPEAKER_01: Appalachian Commercial Real Estate provides professional commercial real estate services in the Boone area.
• 25:21
  SPEAKER_01: They provide sales leasing consulting and appraisal services to owners and users of commercial real estate for more information go to their website at Appalachian CRE.com.
• 25:32
  SPEAKER_02: Welcome back to Mind Your Business I'm David Jackson the Tri-Share announcement on Friday told the story of how a major employer two local child care providers and a state program came together to help working families afford childcare.
• 25:45
  SPEAKER_02: But there was a second announcement made at that press conference one that is squarely in our house.
• 25:50
  SPEAKER_02: We at the Boone Area Chamber of Commerce will continue to work with partners as we tell the story of how we and that we as our businesses our local experts and our citizens how we are all working to combat some of the challenge challenges that this industry continues to face.
• 26:06
  SPEAKER_02: In the wake of Felene the Boone Area Chamber of Commerce Foundation made a quick allocation to our local childcare industry paying tuition for licensed centers for the month of October to help stabilize the industry and ensure that it would be available for working families as the community was ready to resume operations but also putting cash in the hands of families that needed money to address immediate storm needs.
• 26:32
  SPEAKER_02: When we asked our board how to spend the dollars that we had raised they said let's be about what we are about.
• 26:41
  SPEAKER_02: Last year we raised nearly$40,000 to pay for one month of a pilot of child care for childcare workers.
• 26:48
  SPEAKER_02: That's another key legislative industry priority throughout the state allocated once again in the month of October with the idea that this pledge to help the industry would become a yearly fall tradition.
• 27:02
  SPEAKER_02: It is with that said that I'm pleased to announce today that our foundation board has approved this year's project which we will be fundraising for a one-time retention bonus for childcare workers across the county to be paid in the month of October we are planning for retention bonuses to be paid incrementally uh incrementally for six month, a year plus and two year plus benchmarks to reward those workers for sticking with a job that pays among the least in the education spectrum while they care for children at the most critical time for development in their entire lives.
• 27:41
  SPEAKER_02: We are working with our partners at the Children's Council of Wataga County to get an exact count on workers and their longevity within the industry while we're still working to determine that exact need we are estimating that between sixty and seventy five thousand dollars will be needed to make this a meaningful benefit for these employees.
• 28:00
  SPEAKER_02: As we get details on the staffing numbers from across the county we'll adjust that goal if we need to the point is this these workers are essential their industry circumstances have made it so pay increases are difficult for centers to provide and if our donor base can do something to reward this critical industry for their time and also give them a boost right before the holidays hopefully that's one more tool that we can use toward the retention of such a critical part of our workforce.
• 28:30
  SPEAKER_02: The 2024 Watauga County childcare study produced by Dancy Research put the numbers in front of us plainly the average childcare worker in this county earns nearly$14,000 below the countywide average wage and well below what a single adult needs to cover basic living costs in this expensive area.
• 28:48
  SPEAKER_02: Only forty one percent of childcare workers at the time of the study in this county have employer provided health insurance.
• 28:56
  SPEAKER_02: Turnover runs steep in this industry 17% within the childcare industry itself compared to 12% compared to a 12% average attrition rate across all other occupations.
• 29:10
  SPEAKER_02: These statistics represent real people making real sacrifices to provide essential services in our area they represent a fragility in this industry that affects every other sector of our economy when a childcare center closes and we have lost six in Wataga County in the last eighteen months teachers enrollments will shrink when enrollment shrinks when enrollment shrinks parents can't get to work when parents can't get to work businesses can't get staffed you know the drill we've talked about it before all of this work is connected.
• 29:45
  SPEAKER_02: Ethan Dodson our director of development at the foundation said it well in our announcement we want childcare professionals across this county to know the business community stands with them.
• 29:56
  SPEAKER_02: The retention bonus is about a direct tangible expression of that we're asking that the business community our members our partners our friends in this area help us make as meaningful a difference as possible.
• 30:09
  SPEAKER_02: If you are interested in participating in this program we would love to hear from you visit boonchamber dot com slash foundation you can donate directly there or learn more about the campaign.
• 30:21
  SPEAKER_02: You can also reach out to Ethan at ethan at boonchamber dot com.
• 30:24
  SPEAKER_02: He's got such a convenient email address every dollar gets us closer to being able to reach all of the eligible workers in this county.
• 30:32
  SPEAKER_02: We'll take a break and come back we'll switch gears and talk Blue Ridge Parkway since we've been talking about transportation all day anyway why not continue the theme Memorial Day weekend is around a few more visitors on the parkway this time around will let you know what you'll find once you get there.
• 30:49
  SPEAKER_05: You are listening to mind your business are you a young professional looking to expand your network?
• 30:55
  SPEAKER_05: The High Country Young Professionals affectionately dubbed the High Country Yopros is a dedicated group of 200 plus professional young adults under the age of 40 serving in various industries across the high country join us for our casual networking event on the first Tuesday of each month from 5 to 7 p.m as we visit locations across the high country events are free of charge.
• 31:17
  SPEAKER_02: However donations are appreciated not a chamber member that's okay no membership needed to join us you have to be under 40 learn more about high country's at boonchamber.com slash HCYP Mind Your Business brought to you by Appalachian Commercial Real Estate offering sales leasing consulting and appraisal services visit Appalachian CRE.com shifting gears and getting you up to speed on the Blue Ridge Parkway because Memorial Day weekend is just days away and whether you're heading out yourself or hosting visitors from out of town there's a lot to navigate on one of the most popular roads in our community first off we've been tracking the final phase of the Great American Outdoors Act road project along the parkway since construction resumed back in mid-March.
• 32:08
  SPEAKER_02: This is a$100 million plus investment being made in our area covering 75 miles of the parkway repaving drainage repairs guardrails overlooks some additional signage and the kind of infrastructure rehabilitation this road has needed for quite some time.
• 32:26
  SPEAKER_02: Remember this was a congressional action signed back in 2021.
• 32:30
  SPEAKER_02: The work in our corridor runs from about mile post 280 to mile post 305.
• 32:36
  SPEAKER_02: That's the stretch from about Parkway school up through the Beacon Heights area of the junction at US 221.
• 32:41
  SPEAKER_02: You'll remember that we fought hard from an advocacy standpoint to see the National Park Service stagger the closures so key destinations remained accessible during this work.
• 32:51
  SPEAKER_02: At any given time visitors have been able to reach Moses Combe Memorial Park, Price Lake, the Linco Viaduct area and Grandfather Mountains Trailhead from either the north or the south.
• 33:02
  SPEAKER_02: Detour signage is in place on secondary roads throughout the corridor up to date closure and detour maps are available at nps.gov slash B L R I and through the National Park Service app.
• 33:14
  SPEAKER_02: We'll have those links posted at Boonchamber.com throughout the construction as well.
• 33:18
  SPEAKER_02: The full rehabilitation of this section is expected to be complete by fall of this year.
• 33:24
  SPEAKER_02: The big news in this work by the weekend the section of the parkway from the bridge across US 321 in Blowing Rock to the US 221 access near Cone Manor is expected to be open.
• 33:40
  SPEAKER_02: Visitors have been detouring through downtown Blowing Rock since that section was taken offline US 221 will still be used as a detour further south along the parkway as other stages of the work are completed.
• 33:55
  SPEAKER_02: Progress is moving toward the Linco Viaduct area and this work is being done quickly thanks in part to the lack of rain that we've had.
• 34:04
  SPEAKER_02: It is important to stay up to date with the Parkway website to get the absolute up to minute details on closures and shifts of detours because they can change rapidly at this particular time in the project.
• 34:17
  SPEAKER_02: Now separate from the Great American Outdoors Act work but running along the same road at the same time the ongoing Hurricane Helene repair effort continues well to our south the park identified 57 landslide areas across nearly 200 miles of just the North Carolina section of the parkway from the storm.
• 34:36
  SPEAKER_02: A lot of those areas are in the current repair zone.
• 34:39
  SPEAKER_02: Phase one is done that's been completed for a while now phase two active right now the primary concentration of that work between milepost 317 and 3247.
• 34:50
  SPEAKER_02: And if you know where that is well you know that's the section just south of Lindville Falls running down toward Hevner Gap.
• 34:57
  SPEAKER_02: When that phase is complete and the target is still around September of this year it will restore direct access along that stretch from US 221.
• 35:05
  SPEAKER_02: Additional phase two work is underway around that same area and several other sites within the corridor again these are well documented at the Blue Ridge Parkway website.
• 35:14
  SPEAKER_02: Phase three will cover more than 24 sites south of that area between Little Switzerland and Mount Mitchell that work is currently in the planning and contracting stage.
• 35:25
  SPEAKER_02: The park's target for phase three completion is late 26 final timelines depend on the contracting process and how construction progresses.
• 35:34
  SPEAKER_02: One bright spot worth mentioning the Linville Falls Spur Road has been reopened.
• 35:39
  SPEAKER_02: That one and a half mile spur now gives hikers direct access to the Lindville Falls trail system once again.
• 35:45
  SPEAKER_02: The visitor center picnic area and campground at that location are still closed and you might have noticed earlier this week there was a report of a wildfire in the area so again I mention with all sincerity stay up to date by checking on the Blue Ridge Parkway website frequently during this very meaningful period in that area.
• 36:06
  SPEAKER_02: The bottom line for anyone going out to the parkway this weekend it's open it's beautiful the sections around the Boone area are wide open blowing rock access is returning to its normal stature and this park is worth visiting.
• 36:20
  SPEAKER_02: It's also going to have a few more people on it this weekend even despite the weather so before you go again check nps.gov slash B L R I.
• 36:28
  SPEAKER_02: They've got an interactive map that goes mile post by milepost on the road status.
• 36:33
  SPEAKER_02: Know the detour options where they exist give construction crews room when you see them out and about after Memorial Day.
• 36:40
  SPEAKER_02: They need the workspace to get this work done.
• 36:43
  SPEAKER_02: Pack some patience this work will be done before you know it.
• 36:47
  SPEAKER_02: Back to close things out right after this, you are listening to Mind Your Business.
• 36:51
  SPEAKER_02: Before we close the door on this episode a few things to keep on your radar actually we're going to stay off your radar.
• 36:58
  SPEAKER_02: How about that?
• 36:59
  SPEAKER_02: After a busy stretch of signature events like the 440 awards Western North Carolina legislative visit to Raleigh Vision Northwest North Carolina earlier today trichair press conference legislative breakfast champion calendar does settle into somewhat of a calmer summer rhythm coming up here.
• 37:17
  SPEAKER_02: We will use that well for our important conversations coming out of the General Assembly short session that we will continue to track.
• 37:24
  SPEAKER_02: The Blue Ridge Parkway situation will continue to evolve throughout the summer months of course the foundation continues to raise money for that retention bonus campaign we told you about earlier in the program all of that building towards October is completely wanting to stay on top of throughout the course of the summer of course what business after hours events along the way as well stay up to date as always at boonchamber.com and does it for this episode of Mind Your Business this program is written and produced by the Moon Area Chamber of Commerce thanks to WHPA for putting us on the airwaves each and every week thanks as always to James Milner and the team at Appalachian Commercial Real Estate for making this podcast version of the program possible.
• 38:04
  SPEAKER_02: If you're not a subscriber fix that today search for MindYourbusiness wherever you get your podcast and visit us online anytime at BoonCamber.
• 38:14
  SPEAKER_02: Till next week happy Memorial Day weekend everybody get out there and celebrate a little bit if the raindrops stay well so long ago