Dan Mayberry understands the importance of child care in the North Country. As superintendent of Keene Central School, he knows it could be the difference between a new hire or a continued vacancy at his district.

“Right after housing, child care is the next question that people usually ask or talk about when they either want to move here or they apply for a job here,” he said.

But since 2019, the numbers are not on his side. Jamie Basiliere, executive director of the Child Care Coordinating Council of the North Country, said her agency has noted decreases in capacity within the region since the pandemic. Clinton County lost 27%, and Franklin County lost 41%. Essex County, however, has lost only 4%.

In addition, Essex County did better in the rebuilding after the pandemic, Basiliere said, as four new child care centers have become licensed since 2022 with more than 200 new child care spots opening up. During that same period, Clinton County lost 136 slots and while Franklin County also lost spots since 2022, they have gained 40 back in 2024.

Though there is some stability in one county, the struggles do not bode well for the others — and there are no simple answers.

Last week, staff writer Grace McIntyre focused on the long road Laura Birofka and her Backyard Birds child-care business faced in becoming registered after a yearlong application process that can be filled with challenges due to the heavy regulation by New York state.

Birofka had the will and patience to go through the background checks and training. Not everyone does.

Erykah Davis, child care department manager at Adirondack Community Action Programs and a liaison for providers who are in the process of applying for a license with the state, agrees the process is lengthy, but necessary.

That leads to the double-edged sword. While it brings security for parents and a community with care for our precious youth, it slows and frustrates the process.

Birofka, fortunately, understood the drill and is the only new family care center registered this year in Essex County. That will ease a bit of the current demand, but it won’t fix the overall problem.

“Quality childcare comes out of these processes,” Davis said. “The regulations are there for a reason.”

That effort will bring better results — and peace of mind.

In the meantime, a New York state Child Care Desert analysis found the Lake Placid-Saranac Lake area to be adequate in 2023. While that is a bit reassuring, it does not change the fact that the need for child care remains a priority for parents who are already here — and those looking to relocate to our region.