Loss Of Daycare Vouchers In Wake County Upsets Parents

Budget cuts in Wake County are creating a childcare crisis for hundreds of parents.

As of March 1, low income working parents who used to depend on vouchers to help pay for their children’s daycare won’t have that option.

Budget cuts forced the cancellation of those payments and many parents are now frantically trying to find alternatives.

11-year-old Nickolas Smiley suffers from attention deficit disorder and post traumatic stress and can’t be left unsupervised while his mom is at work.

“His doctor said he can’t stay at home; not even five minutes by himself,” explains his mother Alacia Davis.

Nickolas is one of 750 kids in Wake County whose childcare payment vouchers were terminated Feb. 28 because of budget cuts.

“I don’t know what I am going to do; I have no idea,” said Alacia. “I’ve been scrambling along others, called my social worker to appeal but she said there is no appeal process.”

Rayna Vasquez complains there wasn’t much advance notice.