BUFFALO, N.Y. (WKBW) — Michele Boshart is the mother of a three-month-old baby and she just got the news she's been waiting for — a spot has opened up for him at daycare... starting in September.
"We actually went on the waiting list at several daycares when I was only about two weeks pregnant because I knew how bad it was," Boshart told 7 News.
She was walking him around the Ring Road in Delaware Park Wednesday, enjoying the sunny weather. She's glad to have that spot but she's amazed at how difficult it is.
"I'd like to have choices. There aren't choices and that's hard when your little baby is going to be cared for by strangers," she said.
It's a predicament many parents across Western New York face.
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'What are we gonna do with our kids?': Daycare drought impacting parents in Niagara County
It's hard to find an open spot at daycares. And then there's the cost.
Erie County officials were celebrating "The Week of the Young Child" Wednesday.
They highlighted the importance of early childhood education and talked about resources available to parents — including financial help even for middle-class families.
"One of the biggest fallacies out there is that only unemployed individuals get childcare subsidies from New York," Erie County Executive Mark Poloncarz said at a news conference. "And that is not correct. You can make a decent amount of money, a substantial amount of money. Most middle-class homeowners in this region qualify for childcare assistance, whether it's Erie County or Niagara County because we're talking about state standards. And so we want people to apply."
He urged families to apply through the county's website here.
Dawn Diederich and her friend Danielle Hopwood were pushing their babies in their strollers along Ring Road Wednesday afternoon too.
They say they and their husbands are facing difficult decisions as they raise their children.
"I'm a stay-at-home mom now," Diederich said. "But that's because childcare, the cost of it, is crazy. The wait lists were crazy and then I just, we were fortunate enough to be able to have me stay home."
Hopwood said she and her husband are trying to figure out what to do.
"It's like something to think about — whether it's worth it to continue working versus have one of the parents stay home or work part-time even. But we're trying to do what we can with help from family to try and avoid having to use daycare and have that cost."
Here are some other places parents can go for information and help with early childhood issues:
