Thursday, October 1, 2026
Across Long Island, families are struggling to find reliable child care. Waiting lists are growing, educators are stretched thin and communities continue to ask the same question: Why can’t we simply open more child care programs?
As an early-childhood educator and a small-business owner on Long Island, I see this challenge from both sides — as someone serving families in need of care, and as someone actively working to expand child care in our community.
Many people assume that the primary barriers to opening new programs are licensing requirements, zoning regulations or finding appropriate space. These are certainly significant hurdles. Child care providers must meet strict safety regulations, navigate local zoning rules and secure properties that meet both municipal and state requirements.
But what often goes unrecognized is what happens after those hurdles are cleared.
In some cases, providers manage to secure the property, obtain the necessary approvals and design programs that expand the number of available spots for families with children. The plans are approved. The need in the community is clear.
Yet even at that stage, expansion can stall because of one remaining obstacle: access to capital.
Child care programs are small businesses that operate with extremely tight margins. Unlike many other industries, the cost of delivering quality care — staffing, safety requirements, training, compliance and maintaining appropriate child-to-staff ratios — leaves little room for financial flexibility. At the same time, many lending institutions continue to view child care as a high-risk investment.
The result is a troubling disconnect. Communities are asking for more child care options, providers are ready to expand, and projects may already have the proper approvals in place, but financing remains out of reach.
On Long Island, this challenge is compounded by the broader affordability crisis. The cost of operating any small business here continues to rise. Property costs, insurance, utilities, food, supplies and maintenance expenses have increased significantly in recent years. For home-based child care providers, the financial pressures can be even more complex. Many programs operate in residential homes, meaning providers must manage both the expense of running a small business and the rising cost of maintaining a home.
Utility costs alone can be substantial when caring for children in a program that operates for long hours each day. Heating, electricity, water, sanitation, food preparation and cleaning requirements all contribute to increased operational costs. These aren’t optional expenses; they are essential components of maintaining a safe, healthy environment for children.
At the same time, providers must invest in staff wages, professional development, educational materials and regulatory compliance. These costs are necessary to ensure quality care, but they also make it more difficult for programs to accumulate the capital needed to grow. When providers attempt to secure financing to expand services, many encounter lending systems that aren’t designed with childhood programs in mind. Even projects that have secured zoning approval and appropriate facilities, and demonstrated community demand, may struggle to access the financing necessary to move forward.
This gap in financing has real consequences. Families across Long Island are already experiencing the impact of limited child care availability. Parents are delaying career opportunities, adjusting work schedules or leaving the workforce entirely because they cannot find reliable care for their children.
Employers also feel the effects. Businesses depend on employees who depend on child care. When their child care options are limited, workforce participation declines and productivity suffers.
Expanding child care isn’t simply about building classrooms. It’s about investing in the system that allows families, businesses and communities to function. Long Island has no shortage of educators who are committed to serving families and expanding access to early learning opportunities. What we need now is greater alignment between that commitment and the financial system that supports small businesses trying to meet this urgent need.
When approved child care projects can’t move forward due to lack of financing, it should prompt an important conversation about how we invest in one of the most essential services our communities depend on.
Child care isn’t a luxury. It is the foundation that allows families to work, businesses to operate and communities to grow. If Long Island is serious about addressing the child care shortage, we must ensure that providers who are ready to expand have a viable path to do so.
Janna Rodriguez is an early childhood educator and a small-business owner in Freeport.
