Scott County Leaders Seek Child Care Fixes after Two Providers Close

June 4, 2026

Original coverage in My Journal Courier by Samantha McDaniel-Ogletree.

Two of Scott County's limited child care providers decided to close their doors this year.

Now, early childhood officials are urging residents and organizations to start conversations aimed at expanding child care access. 

Birth to Five Illinois sponsored a virtual conversation in hopes of sparking discussion about the county's needs and potential solutions. 

Bridget English, regional council manager for Region 1 of Birth to Five Illinois, said the number of licensed individuals who provide child care in Scott County has dropped from six to four.

Those four have a combined capacity to provide care for 32 children, English said.

There are an estimated 214 children age 4 or under in the county, according to 2024 Illinois Early Childhood Asset Map data, meaning only 1 in 7 children has access to care. 

"There are no centers in Scott County," English said. "The reduction of two in-home providers prompted this discussion."

Because the data only covers licensed caregivers, there may be others providing care without a license, English said.

Not every child would need outside child care, because some have family or a stay-at-home parent to watch them, she said. 

But there is a need for care in the county, she said. 

"These problems Scott County is experiencing are repeated in all regions," English said. 

During the presentation, participants heard from North Greene schools Superintendent Jackie Kuchy about a district-provided child care center for its employees; the center was opened after the district began losing teachers because of the lack of child care. 

"We struggled to retain staff," Kuchy said. "People would leave the profession because the compensation does not equate to child care costs. We wanted to find ways to keep teachers in the classroom."

Using a state grant to help address teacher vacancies, the district created a three-room child care center that provides care for district employees. 

The North Greene model is one possible solution for Scott County.

Wendy Smith, community health educator for Scott County Health Department and coordinator for Scott County Early Childhood Collaborative, said the collaborative is working on other possible solutions. 

Collaborative members have begun discussions with current and former providers in the area and have been looking at child care needs for some time, Smith said.

"We have many that are at full capacity with long wait lists," Smith said. "There's also a need for before- and after-school care."

Several providers said they left or considered leaving because of the long days and emotional and physical fatigue that comes with child care, Smith said.

"We have to determine the full need for child care and find ways to address the burnout and staff shortages," Smith said.

With a grant from Birth to Five Illinois, Scott County Early Childhood Collaborative was able to research the greatest needs for families. Child care was among the top needs. 

The collaborative will meet at 3 p.m. June 11 at Scott County Health Department.

Part of improving child care access is ensuring families and providers know about assistance programs that can help cover care, as well as grant programs to establish child care programs. 

During the meeting, Brooke Walker of Community Child Care Connections said one of her organization's biggest roles is connecting families and providers with resources.

Whether they need information on programs, assistance or grants to help cover startup costs, the organization works with each individual to find various resources, Walker said. 

Participants also heard from a Pike County representative about the process officials there followed.

Pike County went through a similar process after officials identified a large need for child care in that county.

April Darringer, the coordinator for the Pike County child care Taskforce, said they had a large child care center close, leaving many without services in the county. 

"We got a group together to brainstorm what we can do locally for child care in Pike County," Darringer said. "One person can't solve this. It takes everyone: families, employers, providers and the community."

In Pike County there were several discussions on what the needs were, what people could do, what the barriers were and what approaches could meet the needs of families and providers. 

Smith said the work in Pike County can be an example for what Scott County can do to address the need for child care. 

English said the first step to addressing the issue is to identify the needs of both families and providers. 

"We want to understand the strengths, the barriers," English said. "We want to understand how limited capacity has impacted families."

Looking to other counties for help is also beneficial, English said. 

"There is so much chatter that we wanted to respond and help people see beyond the Scott County borders," English said. "We want them to see what other folks are doing."