Cassandra Brooks was awake past midnight Tuesday weighing whether she should keep open her childcare centers in Garner and Clayton.

While many childcare centers in the state have closed — the advocacy group NC Child puts the number at 45 percent — Brooks said she wants to stay open because of the parents who put their children in her care. They include a firefighter, a pharmacist, a nurse practitioner, and people who work in emergency departments — the “front-line workers” the state seeks to help.

State officials have called childcare centers essential, and Gov. Roy Cooper’s March 20 executive order encourages communities to support them.

Now, the state is telling childcare centers to apply for permission from the NC Department of Health and Human Services if they want to stay open or re-open during the pandemic. They have until March 31 to do so.

It’s a hard choice for Brooks, executive director and owner of Little Believer’s Academy, because of the challenge to find disinfectant, gloves and other supplies, and the worry that one of her own employees could get sick.

“Last night, I was up three hours, 1 to 4, talking to my husband back and forth, praying about it,” she said.

The state is trying to keep childcare centers open for “front-line workers,” said Dr. Mandy Cohen, head of NC DHHS, at a news conference Wednesday.

Centers that stay open must agree to stricter guidelines and practice social distancing, she said.

The advocacy group NC Child on Wednesday called on the state to close childcare centers, while establishing centers for emergency workers.

The state should make sure that those emergency centers have what they need to operate safely, said Michelle Hughes, NC Child’s executive director.

Hughes said supply shortages make it hard for childcare centers to follow the state’s guidelines.

“There are shortages of food, shortages of protective gear,” Hughes said. “Childcare providers are potentially being exposed to the virus when they are changing diapers or holding children” Hughes said. All childcare center workers should follow DHHS safety guidelines, she said, and “they need to be equipped to do that.”

NC Child is also calling for health insurance, emergency pay, and paid leave for childcare workers.

The state set up a hotline to connect frontline workers with childcare, DHHS spokeswoman Kelly Haight Connor told The News & Observer in an email. She did not answer questions about closing childcare centers or state help for those that remain open.

With infections surging in Mecklenburg County, LeafSpring Schools of Charlotte decided Wednesday to close for two weeks, said Rhonda Rivers, regional director for curriculum and training. After the temporary closure, LeafSpring Schools will reopen in stages, she said.

Most of the families enrolled in the school are not the “essential personnel” exempt from Mecklenburg’s stay-at-home order, she said.

“We feel like it’s just the right thing to do,” Rivers said.

LeafSpring employees have benefits, Rivers said, but the cases of young children who have become infected highlight the need for safety.

“North Carolina is a leader in early childhood education, Rivers said. “These are unprecedented times.”

The coronavirus crisis has revealed how important childcare is to the economy, Hughes said.

Many in the workforce are women of color who make low wages and work without benefits, Hughes said.

“We should recognize how valuable they are and provide the support they need in terms of pay, health care and sick leave in the months head,” she said.

Brooks, the Little Believers’ owner, wants all those things, too. But she also has a critical decision to make for the families who use her centers and her employees.

“If childcares are to remain open, where is the essential funding and supplies?” she asked.

This story was originally published March 25, 2020 at 5:05 PM.