Childcare industry is hanging on by a thread not just in our community and in our state but as a nationwide problem. When cities add programs (as much needed as they are) without clear partnerships and involvement with our childcare providers we create bigger issues and cause those problems we are trying to improve with those same programs. We need open discussions with city officials now and clear guaranteed plans to help our community when not if this happens. We need to bring in childcare providers, childcare services who work and see this collapse time and time again. Little Learners was approached by MADC during the end of covid to help the childcare crisis in our community by expanding and we have succeeded in doing that independently.