Child care options are running out in rural areas

Greene County, Miss. (WXXV)- In rural Greene County, parents searching for child care are running out of options.

With just one daycare in the entire country, families are left waiting, worrying or commuting long distances.

Bettie’s cares for 60 children — and that’s all it can take. It’s the only licensed daycare in all of Greene County, where more than 2,500 children live.

“When we called, of course, there was a waiting list, and trying to be on that waiting list was scary,” said April Denmark, a mother. “I had to go to work. We had to have day care, so, yeah, it was a challenge.”

Some parents wait months. Others sign up for long commutes when they run out of options.

“I got another baby who’s supposed to be leaving going to Waynesboro because the mom works in Waynesboro –– but they’re full in Waynesboro,” said Neosha Street, the director of Bettie’s ABC Advanced Child Care Center. “So she leaves Richton, comes here, drives to Waynesboro to work every day.”

Families who can’t get in are often referred to unlicensed daycares. But even those are full.

“I refer them to the in-home, and they are like, ‘I can only serve this many — and I’m already at capacity.’ So, we don’t have anywhere for them to go.”

Street says they’ve considered expanding — but for now, the need far exceeds the capacity.

“That is one of the challenges — not being able to serve everybody.”

There is federal funding available to help small towns build or expand child care, including a USDA loan and grant program that covers up to 75% of construction costs in rural areas.

For providers like Bettie’s, that kind of help can take years to secure.