Sen. Chaudhuri files bill in North Carolina Senate to expand child care assistance

A new bill filed by Sen. Chaudhuri in the North Carolina Senate seeks to establish a pilot program aimed at expanding child care support for providers and families, according to the North Carolina State Senate.

The bill, filed as SB 593 on March 25 during the 2025 regular session, was formally listed with the short title: ‘Grant Our Kids Care Act.’

The following is our breakdown, based on the actual bill text, and may include interpretation to clarify its provisions.

In essence, this bill appropriates $30 million in nonrecurring funds annually for the 2025-27 fiscal biennium to establish a two-year statewide pilot program providing child care expansion assistance grants. The program aims to recruit and retain full-time child care providers with incomes at or below 85% of the state median, employed by licensed child care centers or homes, to expand child care supply for children up to age five. The grants cover 75% of the published tuition rates for up to two children of eligible staff, with employers contributing at least 25%. Payments may be monthly or quarterly, contingent on employment status. Priority will be given to counties with high unmet demand or long waitlists for subsidized child care, ensuring a geographically diverse distribution. Reports on the program’s impact, including participation and child care slots created, are due in March 2026 and December 2027, respectively. The act becomes effective July 1, 2025.

Of the two sponsors of this bill, Sophia Chitlik proposed the most bills (52) during the 2025 regular session.

Bills in North Carolina follow a multi-step process before becoming law. A lawmaker starts by filing a bill, which is assigned to a committee for review. The bill must be read three times in each chamber. If one chamber changes the bill after the other passes it, both must agree on the final version. Once both chambers approve the same bill, it goes to the governor, who has 10 days (or 30 if the legislature is not in session) to sign, veto, or let it become law without a signature.

You can read more about the bills and other measures here.

Chaudhuri graduated from Davidson College in 1991 with a BA and again in 1999 from North Carolina Central University with a JD.

Chaudhuri, a Democrat, was elected to the North Carolina State Senate in 2019 to represent the state’s 15th Senate district, replacing previous state senator Terry Van Duyn.