Families searching for child care in Lyon County may be finding a slightly more stable landscape than in recent years, but local providers are still facing major challenges — especially when it comes to staffing. Jamie Roberts, a child care licensing specialist covering Lyon County and seven surrounding counties, said the local child care system appears to be in a better place than it was in the years immediately following the COVID-19 pandemic. “For 2023 into 2024, we were seeing a lot of vacancies,” Roberts said. “We had a good handful that closed because they didn’t have kids. They couldn’t make a living.” Now, she said, most providers in the area seem to be full again or at least as full as they would like to be. Part of that shift has come as families and providers moved further past the disruptions of the pandemic, but Roberts said the opening of Little Lyons has also helped add needed capacity in Emporia.
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