MARENGO, Ind. (WDRB) -- There's a struggle to find child care in rural southern Indiana communities.
Some families have been left with no options as daycares and child care facilities shuttered during the pandemic.
Less than a decade ago, there were about 40 kids involved in the after school program for the Harrison County Boys & Girls Club.
Right now, as the school year begins, there are more than 300 and that number is only going to grow.
"Those that need us most. That's in our mission statement," Kim Grizzel said.
Grizzel, the executive director of the Boys & Girls Club of Harrison and Crawford Counties, said the growing demand for child care has stretched their budget — and staffing needs.
They have 12 hourly staff workers at the Corydon location, and they want to hire eight more.
"Because what position is more important than the person who takes care of your child during the day," Grizzel said.
Grizzel said the location in nearby Crawford County meets a different need. She said every daycare in the county in operation before the pandemic has now closed.
"More than 75% of our families work outside of this community, and so everyone has a commute to get to work," she said.
The closures put a burden on working parents making long commutes to work elsewhere. But Grizzel and the board came up with a solution.
"It seems crazy now, to think about that, we just decided to open up a daycare. But we did," she said.
The staff takes care of babies as young as four weeks old. The Boys & Girls Club has since taken over the lease at the old Marengo Elementary, quickly filling up classrooms in two different wings.
"It's just a good, safe environment for the children, and it's stability. They have wonderful staff," Becky Walts said.
Right now, there are 10 hourly staff workers in the daycare, but Grizzel said they really need 18.
"I mean there's just such a staff shortage everywhere, really, and we're feeling it," she said.
Grizzel recently went before Harrison County leaders to ask for more funding to help meet the demand, raise hourly wages and improve cash flow.
She said they haven't seen an increase in funding from the county in nearly a decade. They're expecting a decision later this month.
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