Child Care Initiative Funds/Reform/Study.

This bill creates a pilot program to train new individuals with no prior experience as lead teachers in North Carolina's licensed child care centers. Funded by state money and requiring a local match, the program offers free, intensive training courses through community colleges in selected counties, with graduates receiving a state credential and potential stipends for completing the course and working for a year. The initiative aims to expand the child care workforce by establishing academies across the state, starting in Johnston and Wayne counties, and includes requirements for local partnerships to select additional sites. Additionally, the bill directs the North Carolina Partnership for Children to study the feasibility of liability insurance for providers and update bidding rules for child care grants.