By Quinn O’Hara

Since before the start of the 2020 COVID-19 pandemic, the amount of available childcare slots in Clay County has steadily declined.

According to the Child Care Aware Report, Clay County still needs 130 childcare slots. The report states that for every open childcare slot in Clay County, there are up to 10 additional children under 3 years of age still in need of care.

Grow Clay County Director Natalie Murato talks of a leading issue of maintaining childcare facilities in Clay County:

Murato details how this shortage affects Clay County:

Murato is hopeful that through community efforts the number of childcare slots in Clay County will increase.