The problems you see in your backyard are similar to those across the country regarding childcare issues.

According to a recent Center for American Progress, more than two-thirds of the nation’s children have all available parents in the workforce, which places an extra emphasis on accessible and affordable child care. The study concluded that on a national scale, high-quality childcare is hard to come by and frequently unaffordable. The average annual cost for childcare in Wisconsin is $13,752 for an infant and $11,128 for a four-year-old, which is a couple hundred dollars more than the national average. At 12 percent (infant) and 10 percent (four-year-old) of the median income of a married income, both are higher than the federal affordability threshold of seven percent.

Especially in an area like Door County that is considered a child care desert, United Way of Door County Child Care Community Coordinator Molly Gary says the statistics show why they have been placing such a strong effort into alleviating the problem.

Providing resources for people who need childcare and those who want to take on the issue themselves as an in-home provider has been a goal of the United Way of Door County for several months after hosting listening sessions earlier this year. You can hear more about those programs below: