COLUMBIA, S.C. — If you’re looking for childcare services, it may not be as easy as you’d like.
Companies around the state are in search of workers, with some starting a waitlist due to high demand and limited staff amid the pandemic.
Latorie Lloyd owns Aspire Early Learning Academy.
As pandemic restrictions loosened, she said children returned, but now a shortage of workers is their new challenge.
“We have staffing now to cover who we have, but we’re not able to extend or expand our enrollment because we’ve had such a hard time finding employees,” Lloyd said. “People have scheduled to do interviews, but not show up or, you know, it’s just been a struggle.”
They serve families in Lexington, Columbia and West Columbia.
“We have a waitlist at all three locations because of that shortage,” she said.
In Sumter, Sherreka Frederick of Love Covenant Child Development Center said they too have started a waitlist.
“We have to go by ratios and staying within the guidelines … if you don’t have the staffing then you can’t bring in more children,” Frederick said. “It’s just trying to compete with some of the wages and getting the applications in.”
While they work to find workers, families are also feeling the effects.
“Families have called, and they’ve expressed to me that they’ve been calling around and no one’s taking children,” Lloyd said. “You know, they have to go to work and they don’t have anywhere for their children to go.”
They’re hoping to get new workers in soon as the state inches toward normalcy.