NEW PHILADELPHIA (WJER) - Tuscarawas County Job and Family Services officials are hoping to inspire more people to become daycare providers. 

JFS Daycare Supervisor Adam Wilson says there are only 17 providers available to parents in Tuscarawas County, and many are full or out of the way for parents, making it difficult for working families who need help watching their kids through the day. 

“There are many city’s here that have a lot of people in them and no childcare providers,” he says. “Sugarcreek, we have zero. Strasburg, there’s zero. Bolivar, I think we have maybe one and its a center so there are limited hours.”

Wilson says the JFS office can help people with the daycare licensing and certification process through the state, which can be more daunting due to current changes. 

“They want these kids classroom ready so we have better test scores, better students, all that stuff. These daycare programs are now structured around classroom activities, so when we start to license somebody, that’s one of the things they have to provide us is what they’re going to be doing day in and day out,” he says.

Wilson says a county the size of Tuscarawas needs at least 30-daycare providers, double the current amount, to adequately serve its residents. Anyone interested can call JFS at 339-7791.

WJER RADIO