Attenburg grew up fatherless in public housing, and she sees her work at Smart Kid Child Care and Education Center on North Tryon Street as a ministry to children in similar circumstances. Until she married last year, she couldn't afford a car and had to ask her teen-age son to pay utility bills. Pam East, the director, says at least half the teachers work second jobs. During one year, the 20-person staff saw 33 teachers leave, some after a couple of weeks. In Mecklenburg County, an explosion of day care has created mixed results for staff and the children they care for.
Competition pushes wages above the state average, but also encourages teacher turnover.
Mecklenburg's day-care boom also means many centers are struggling to stay full. Sometimes that means pumping money into marketing, flashy playground equipment and building face-lifts designed to catch a parent's eye. Eventually, if a center can't get enough kids it must lay off teachers or even close. Emma Ferguson lost her job when St. John's Baptist Church Child Development Center closed in October. Even though she had to take a slight pay cut to stay in day care, Ferguson stuck with it.