Raleigh daycare owner waited 3 months to get funding from the state; Troubleshooter helps her recover $6,100

RALEIGH, N.C. (WTVD) -- It's tough to go a few days or a week without payment, so imagine going months without getting paid.

Regina McAllister, owner of Regina's Preschool & Kids Academy, said she waited three months for funding from the state of North Carolina.

"I just want to get paid," McAllister said. "Everybody is blaming everybody else and nobody is taking responsibility not realizing this is impacting the children."

McAllister was owed more than $6,000 from the state's Child Development and Early Education Division. The money owed revolves around two of the kids in her program, where vouchers help pay for their care. McAllister said, "For whatever reason, they canceled her voucher and her voucher is in good standing."

This problem started in July and continued all the way through October. McAllister said she made call after call to the state and county for help.

"I'm hitting a wall now because nobody can do anything," McAllister said. "County says it's the state. The state says it is NC Fast. NC Fast says is not a priority."

According to the state Division of Childhood Development and Early Education, NC Families Accessing Services through Technology (FAST) is an online program designed to facilitate connectivity between the NC Department of Health and Human Services and other social service departments.

The following statement is posted to the department's website:

In support of our effort to improve the integration of services that are provided at the local level, the Division of Child Development and Early Education (DCDEE) continues work on the subsidized child care component of NC FAST. This project is designed to improve and streamline our application process, provide better case management capabilities across services, and ultimately incorporate a new process for collecting and assuring time and attendance within the subsidized child care program.

Despite no payment, McAllister continued to care for the children in question.

"When was the last time you worked for 90 days and didn't get paid?" McAllister said. "I've been doing this for 30 years. I've never had this happen."

Troubleshooter Diane Wilson got in touch with the state and they admitted NC Fast is aware of the payment issue and said it was due to a mistake on their end. It took some time, but McAllister got the $6,100 owed to her. She said she is thankful to finally get paid for the care she provided to the children.

The Troubleshooter Takeaways

If you are missing payments from the state, keep detailed records and stay on top of your complaint. No matter how many calls or emails you have to make, don't let them forget about the money you are owed.