NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WTVF) — Many new parents know trying to find childcare can be a struggle.
This month, the Martha O'Bryan Center is working to make childcare more available and affordable while hoping to alleviate the ongoing childcare crisis in Nashville.
The Center will soon offer over 25-30 new openings for children up to 5 years old.
Rhonda Mynhier, the director of the center, says the childcare crisis sprung out of the COVID-19 pandemic.
"Oh my goodness, Nashville is a childcare desert," she said. "So we lost a good percentage of our workforce [during the pandemic]...and after COVID was over, it's been a struggle to get them to come back."
Several centers shut down, three, Rhonda says in the last two months.
Most COVID-era funding meant to keep the remaining afloat stopped last September.
While centers offer higher pay to retain employees, that cost is then passed onto the families.
"Heartbreaking. Overwhelming, very overwhelming, stressful," said Patricia Hill.
A mother of 3, Hill knows the struggle of not only paying the bill but finding childcare in the first place. She searched for over a year before finding spots at Martha O'Bryan.
"If you've got kids, you don't have childcare, you don't have a way to work, what can you do?" she asked.
Now, the hope is that more parents will be able to find and fund childcare more easily.
"It makes me feel good because everybody needs to experience this. Everybody needs help," said Hill.
The Center says when they are fully staffed, they will be able to care for up to 126 children.
However, they need four teachers and eight assistant teachers.
If you are interested in a job or a parent wanting to get on the waitlist, you can find applications on the Martha O'Bryan website.
This is a beautiful story of chosen family, proving a father figure doesn't have to have biology in common to make a difference in a child's life. The story of De'Andre and Alex will remind you that our relationships help determine the course of our lives. And that being supportive of someone - through a meal, a shared experience or even swim lessons can make all the difference.
- Rebecca Schleicher
