One center, entirely too many kids: A South Mississippi child care crisis

On a Monday afternoon, a mother arrived at Bettie’s ABC Advanced Child Care Center with paperwork in hand, hoping to enroll her child.

Instead, she was added to a growing waitlist — a familiar outcome for many families in the area.

In Greene County, this scenario has become commonplace. Bettie’s ABC is the sole licensed child care facility serving the entire county — an area with nearly 2,600 children, according to U.S. Census Bureau data.

With a population of over 13,000 and no other options for miles, parents face a steep uphill battle finding state-licensed child care.

The waitlist

Since its establishment in February 2019, Bettie’s ABC has consistently operated at near-full capacity, caring for 60 children ranging from infants to school-aged, said Director Neosha Street.

The demand for enrollment is high among toddlers.

“Our 2-year-old class — oh my gosh. Yes! That’s the high demand,” Street said.

As of May 1, six names are on the center’s waitlist –– and Street said families understand that new spots usually open up after local schools complete open enrollment. Still, that timeline doesn’t work for everyone.

April Denmark, who recently moved from Baton Rouge, Louisiana, said she was placed on the waiting list while relocating to Leakesville.

“When we called, of course, there was a waiting list, and trying to be on that waiting list was scary,” Denmark recalled. “Once we moved, it was kind of a hard date — I had to go to work. We had to have day care, so, yeah, it was it was a challenge.”

With no alternative licensed child care facilities within 20 to 30 miles, Denmark said she felt immense relief upon finally securing a spot, calling the moment “amazing” and “a blessing.”

Brooklyn Lee, a parent from the Jonathan neighborhood in Greene County, has relied on Bettie’s ABC for over three years. She said her son has flourished, learning his numbers, letters and building strong social skills.

As a nursing student at Pearl River Community College, Lee emphasized that flexible child care has been crucial for her to pursue her education.

Strict rules, limited space

Licensed child care centers in Mississippi must meet a range of federal and state requirements, including low child-to-staff ratios, staff background checks and safety standards. These rules help ensure quality care but also limit how many children a facility can take in.

“If a parent comes in, and I say, ‘Well, you know, we are full. I can’t accept any more children in a classroom because I’m at capacity’ ... a ratio is 2-to-20 or, you know, in (the nursery) is 1-to-5, and they’re like, ‘Oh, man, you can’t squeeze me in, and you can’t pull some strings?’ But I can’t do that because once the state comes in, if I’m over, you know, my ratio’s off, that’s a fine,” Street explained.

Street said the center has considered expanding, but so far it has not taken that step.

“That is one of the challenges — not being able to serve everybody ... Ms. Bettie wants to add on to accommodate everybody because her motto is ‘We’re here for the family,’” she said.

For years, Bettie’s ABC wasn’t alone. Greene County once had a federally funded Head Start program with three classrooms serving about 18 to 20 children, but that center closed in 2023, leaving Bettie’s ABC the only licensed option in the county.

According to state data, Greene County now has the highest child-to-provider ratio in Mississippi — with 2,546 children relying on one center.

The next closest ratio is in Lamar County, where there are eight licensed care facilities for almost 16,000 children — a 2,000-per-facility ratio.

Affording child care gets harder

Even families able to secure a spot must find a way to pay for it — and many rely on help from the state.

The state Child Care Payment Program helps low- and moderate-income working families afford day care. On April 1, the Mississippi Department of Human Services paused new applications and renewals for anyone not in six priority categories, such as foster families, teen parents or military households.

The Roy Howard Community Journalism Center’s partners at Mississippi Today reported that over 10,000 children across the state could lose access to the program. According to their report, the state aims to reduce the number of children served from 36,000 to under 27,000 and lower monthly costs to $12 million.

Carol Burnett, director of the Mississippi Low-Income Child Care Initiative, told Mississippi Today that the state program can reduce child care costs by up to 80%.

She explained that many parents have multiple children in the center and rely on Child Care Payment Program services to help afford daycare.

“Some of them are single parents, so when they have to come up with all that money ... then the numbers may go down,” Street said.

Nowhere else to turn

With the state program paused and Bettie’s full, families in Greene County often turn to unlicensed home day cares — but even those are nearing capacity.

“I refer them to the in-home, and they are like, ‘I can only serve ... this many — and I’m already at capacity,’” Street said. “So, we don’t have anywhere for them to go.”

Some families cobble together care from older siblings or grandparents. Others drive long distances to find somewhere with an opening.

“One mom drives from Richton every day, drops off her baby here, then goes to work in Waynesboro — then does it all again to get home,” Street said.

A path forward for rural communities

There are programs designed to help rural towns expand access to care, but they require planning, partnerships and persistence.

In 2024, two federal departments — Agriculture and Health and Human Services — published a guide outlining government resources.

One major opportunity is the Agriculture Department’s Community Facilities Direct Loan & Grant Program, which can fund up to 75% of project costs in towns with fewer than 5,000 residents — like Leakesville, McLain and State Line.

But utilizing these programs takes time — something in short supply for providers like Street, who’s managing a full center while trying to keep families informed.

‘We’re here for the family’

Despite it all, Bettie’s stays open year-round — spring break, summer and holidays. They don’t close unless absolutely necessary.

“Ms. Bettie’s motto is, ‘We’re here for the family,’” Street said. “We stay open because parents still have to work.”

What motivates her, she said, are the children.

“I’ve had some since they were babies. Now they’re in second grade,” she said. “Some of them still come up and hug me and say, ‘Hey Ms. Street!’ They don’t forget you.”

As the only licensed provider in the county, Bettie’s has become more than a day care — it’s a lifeline.