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Program
WAGE$ Eligibility
Qualify
To be eligible, applicants must…
- Work in a participating/funded county
- Earn at or below the income cap ($19, $23 or $25/hour) selected by your local Smart Start partnership
- Work with children ages birth to 5
- Work at least 10 hours per week
- Work in a licensed child care program
- Have one of the levels of education listed on the WAGE$ Salary Supplement Scale
Participating Counties
Below is a list of participating counties in North Carolina. Not in NC? The Child Care WAGE$® Program can be licensed in other states.
| Alamance | Columbus | Guilford | McDowell | Rutherford |
| Alexander | Craven | Halifax | Mecklenburg | Sampson |
| Alleghany | Cumberland | Harnett | Mitchell | Stanly |
| Avery | Davidson | Haywood | Montgomery | Surry |
| Bladen | Davie | Henderson | Moore | Swain |
| Brunswick | Duplin | Hertford | Nash | Transylvania |
| Buncombe | Durham | Iredell | Northampton | Union |
| Burke | Edgecombe | Jackson | Pitt | Vance |
| Cabarrus | Forsyth | Johnston | Polk | Warren |
| Caldwell | Franklin | Lee | Randolph | Wayne |
| Catawba | Gaston | Lenoir | Richmond | Wilkes |
| Cherokee | Graham | Lincoln | Robeson | Wilson |
| Clay | Granville | Macon | Rockingham | Yadkin |
| Cleveland | Greene | Martin | Rowan | Yancey |
If you don’t see your county listed, contact your local Smart Start Partnership for Children. If they are interested in participating, they may call 919-967-3272 for more information.
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Have eligibility questions?
We can help!
Still unsure if you’re eligible? Call a WAGE$ specialist at 919-967-3272. When calling please reference WAGE$. If you are a current participant please also mention the county in which you work. You can also send us a message online.
