Perspective | What happens when a community loses its only licensed child care program

This summer, I received a letter that would cause any parent’s head to spin: Leaders at my children’s child care program, Little Sprouts Child Care in Frisco, informed us it will close its doors at the end of the year.  For years, the program had hung on, but couldn’t overcome the severe staffing shortage facing so many child care centers today. The owner had sought to offer care that working parents could afford, but also needed to offer fair wages to recruit and retain qualified staff. In the end, despite their best efforts, the numbers didn’t add up.  I have three children who have benefited tremendously from the quality care and education this program provided: a 5-year-old and 2-year-old twins. My husband and I run a small business together, and I’m also a broker and office manager for a local real estate company. Reading that letter, my mind swarmed with questions: What would we do? How could we keep our business afloat and afford to stay in our community if one us needed to drop out of the workforce to care for our kids? My husband was born and raised here on Hatteras Island; we’re proud to call it home.
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