SCRANTON, Pa. — Mala Chaddha had big plans for her day care in Scranton before the pandemic. The daycare's expansion project has been stuck in the early stages for almost two years now.
"This business has seen better days," Chaddha said.
The cost of running a day care like Roots and Shoots on Washburn Street has gone way up.
"It has risen to almost more than double the amount because of the cleaning supplies, and then the staff has to be paid for that extra cleaning."
The good news is the demand for child care has returned.
The bad news is the workers have not.
"We are unable to hire. There's no one offering their services. Staffing is a big, big, big difficulty."
When Chaddha learned about the money the city is offering to child care providers, she applied right away.
"I was really grateful and happy. I said, 'Well, there, we have help.'"
There's $500,000 in federal grant money available to providers in Scranton. The city is also hoping the effort will help working parents who haven't been able to get their kids into these overwhelmed day care centers.
Chaddha says she has had to turn away new clients because she just doesn't have enough employees.
"Maybe if we could offer some incentives for the staff," Chaddha said. "If we could give them more bonuses or raised rates of hourly wages."
Applications must be submitted to Liza Carroll, lcarroll@scrantonpa.gov, no later than 5 p.m. on Wednesday, December 15, 2021.