Eighteen childcare centers in Hamilton County have closed so far this year. In the same time, 19 have opened.
The churn in childcare is the result of federal funding changes that caused a pause in childcare tuition certificates, effectively a death sentence to centers already operating on thin profit margins, local experts said.
On first look, it appears there is a closure crisis in Hamilton County, but the situation is more nuanced, Heather Hicks, CEO of Signal Centers, said in an interview. The issue is not a lack of seats but difficulties regarding affordability, accessibility and workforce retention, Hicks said.
“If there’s a pothole, if the internet goes down, if electricity is out, we are really quick to fix it because it’s part of our infrastructure,” Hicks said. “Childcare is part of our infrastructure, because you can’t go to work if you don’t have childcare.”