PORT ANGELES, Wash. — Caring for his four kids is a family affair for Terry Wopperer.
He and his wife both work full-time. Their 2-year-old isn't yet in school and child care wait lists are up to a year long.
"It's pretty frustrating not having anything locally that was able to help us," Wopperer said.
The situation became so serious the family started homeschooling their 16-year-old son so he could be home to watch the 2-year-old.
"We had to make a family decision on what's gonna work for the family," Wopperer said. "It was a hard decision. I'm hoping it's just short-term. I want him to experience high school."
According to the Department of Children, Youth and Families, more than half a million Washington kids are in need of daycare, and only 12% of them are getting it from a licensed facility.
Before the pandemic, Clallam County was considered a "child care desert." Since then, it has lost 25% of its providers.
Across the northern Olympic Peninsula, there is a shortage of at least 300 daycare slots.
The Olympic Peninsula YMCA is working to cut that number by a third.
They're trying to raise $7 million to build a new early learning center that will serve 96 kids. At this point, they're still about $2 million short.
YMCA CEO Wendy Bart says the cost of not investing in childcare is much higher.
"In our region, employers are incurring $94 million in costs every year because employees are showing up late, or leaving early, they can't make it all, or they're leaving the workforce altogether because they don't have adequate childcare," Bart said.
For the Wopperer family and so many others in their community, the new center can't come soon enough.
"It's gonna be such a blessing to have that in our backyard where parents won't have to worry any longer," Terry Wopperer said.
If the YMCA can raise the money, the new early learning center is expected to open next summer.