TAMPA, Fla. — There are roughly 1,200 childcare facilities in Hillsborough County, according to Early Learning Coalition of Hillsborough County.

The non-profit organization specifically works with around 800 of those providers, many of which have seen the impact of the pandemic.

South Hillsborough County is especially seeing the need for more childcare, that’s because Early Learning Coalition of Hillsborough County (ELC) stated it is considered a childcare desert.

“It is important to get quality homes and centers into those areas because that is our number one priority, is to prepare children for kindergarten and it’s so important that kids have that education and care early on,” said Manager of Donor Relations at ELC Kelley Minney.

Yenny Bowen is passionate about children. It is one of the reasons she opened her own at home childcare facility in 2010.

“I love teaching, caring and everyday I’m learning with the children,” she says.

The profession takes a lot of patience, but she’s dedicated to what she does.

She’s seen, however, a change in childcare access.

“Parents when they call me the first time, it's complaining with the centers because it’s too much time on the waitlist,” Bowen said.

She never closed her doors during the pandemic, but government data shows many facilities did.

To minimize this problem, the American Rescue Plan distributed money to organizations like the ELC. The group then distributed those funds to childcare facilities throughout Hillsborough County in the form of grants so that owners could make improvements to their centers.

Bowen says it has helped her to create a welcoming space for families struggling to find a childcare provider. 

Julie Aquino says the pandemic and the lack of facilities in Wimauma made it difficult to find care for her son.

“A whole month it took me for me to able to actually go into her facility, because all the other facilities was a three to four month waiting list,” said Julie.

As Wimauma grows and new homes are being constructed in the area, Aquino says there is an increased need for more childcare centers too.

“Build the daycares not only one, but three to four daycares, but also have a daycare that is reasonable,” she says.

Not only is childcare hard to find but it can be expensive. According to the Economic Policy Institute, the average annual cost for childcare for a 4-year-old child is a little more than $7,000.

Bowen says there are other barriers as well.

“It’s about staff, it’s about rules and regulations in Hillsborough County, it’s about the price, it’s about the traffic,” she says.

With a smile on her face, Bowen hopes to continue bridging the gap, and provide more accessible childcare in her community.

The ELC has also helped facilities like Bowen’s by providing them with grants to help aid in preparing children for kindergarten.