Child care shortage in southern Indiana

Washington Times-Herald - 4/14/2023

Apr. 12—Editor's note: This story is part of a multi-part series on child care that will be appearing in the next three editions of the Times Herald.

Ashley Willis is a mom of three. She is also the Executive Director for the Pike County Economic Development Corporation. So, when the Pike EDC took part in a multi-county examination of child care she was not surprised by the results that showed a glaring need for more available child care in the community.

"I have 3 daughters. The middle one is 4. When I was pregnant with her, we looked to switch day cares. I got on waiting lists for two different facilities," said Willis. "To this day we are still on the waiting list. It's wild. Child care plays a big role if we want to have a more robust economy."

A study of the Southern Indiana Gateway region involves a seven-county area. The Family-First Workforce report states Pike County employers lose $2.4 million a year in direct costs due to the shortage of child care.

"I think we knew we had a lack of child care and a need for more child care. The study broke down the numbers and I did not realize how astounding the numbers were," said Willis. "If you count all of the full-time child care seats in Pike County, there are only 83, but as of today we need 460. We have such a big gap."

Neither Daviess or Martin counties are part of the Southern Indiana Gateway region, but the study results have caught the attention of business leaders in both counties.

"We are not one of those seven counties but we are staying in close touch with it. That study was part of the 21st Century talent region. We are instead part of the Indiana Uplands talent region," said Daviess County Economic Development Executive Director Bryant Niehoff. "We have been in close contact on this through the Southwest Indiana Development Council and our regional connections."

"The community foundation in Martin County is working with a consultant on child care," said Executive Director for the Martin County Alliance for Economic Development Jessica Potts. "It is definitely an issue in Martin County. I am a mom of young kids and I know how hard it is to get child care. It is almost a relief once they become old enough to go to school."

Quantitatively no one can say exactly what the situation is with child care in Daviess or Martin counties, but anecdotally among parents and operators there is a widespread feeling that there is a dearth of child care available.

"I have worked in child care for as long as I can remember. My first job was in child care when I was 13. I went to Purdue University after high school. I came back to Washington in 2009 and I have been in childcare ever since," said Kendra Dlugosz, owner and director of Rhythm and Rhyme Daycare and Preschool at the Christ United Methodist Church. "Childcare is hard to find. I have a huge waiting list, especially for infants. My waiting list for infants is much longer than the other age children. Ratios are smaller for infants which is why it is difficult to take on many infants at any one time."

"You know they talk about food deserts. I feel like we are in a child care desert," said Elizabeth Wilkins, a hair stylist and a mother of two. "It is really crazy trying to find something. My husband and I are kind of old school. We don't want them looking at screens all day and we want them running around outside and getting dirty when we pick them up. It has been very difficult to find that."

Local officials say they do not have any official numbers on the number of active child care providers or how many slots that are available in Daviess and Martin counties. An internet search shows there are 15 home and group home day cares operating in Daviess County and four in Martin offering around 215 potential slots in Daviess and 70 in Martin.

The census report shows there are approximately 2,800 children in Daviess County and 570 in Martin under the age of 5.

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