Natalie Mazzola, a mother of three and eighth-grade teacher, said the pandemic caused major changes in her family’s child care
Nicole Istre, the owner of Katy's Early Childhood Enrichment Center, said in her 30 years in the child care business she’s never seen a time that threatened her industry like the past two years. "When the pandemic first started and parents were staying home, we were down to about 20% of our capacity," Istre said.The center survived, but according to the American Sociological Association, 35% of child care centers across the U.S. had closed permanently by April 2021.
Katy's Early Childhood Enrichment Center survived the pandemic, but according to the American Sociological Association, 35% of child care centers across the U.S. closed permanently by April 2021."Child care deserts are typically a zip code where the demand for child care is three times greater than the supply of child care," Kofron said.
Experts have warned that a lack of available child care centers could pose big problems for families.