Enrollment is down a little, she said, and the center is still struggling to find some cleaning supplies.

Lil’ Red Barn’s story is being repeated across southwest Washington, according to data from Child Care Aware.

Of the 71% of child care centers that have reopened in the state, nearly two-thirds say they’re at risk of shutting down for good, according Sarah Kelley, director of data and evaluation at Child Care Aware.

“It will be months before we really know for sure which sites permanently close,” Kelley said. Those closures would worsen Washington’s existing child care shortage.

And in Oregon, all 36 counties were considered “child care deserts” for infants and toddlers before the pandemic, with only one child care slot for every three children who need care, according to Congresswoman Suzanne Bonamici’s office.

Bonamici recently released a report called “Child Care in Crisis: Solutions to Support Working Families, Children, and Educators,” calling for stabilizing and improving the child care system in Oregon and across the nation.

“Access to high-quality, affordable child care has always been fundamental to the well-being of families and children,” Bonamici wrote in the report. “As a mom of two, I’ve long recognized the importance of affordable and high-quality child care. It’s foundational to our economy, and will be a key factor in reopening our communities safely by making it possible for parents to return to work.”

In line with the report, Bonamici and other elected officials have been calling for more federal funding to support child care centers.

Washington received $58.6 million from the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act to help essential workers with child care and pay wages for child care providers, Senator Patty Murray announced in early April.

“Parents across Washington state working on the frontlines desperately need child care so they can keep us safe, fed and healthy during this crisis,” Murray said in a prepared statement.

However, Kelley said the majority of local centers did not apply for the federal aid.

Only 14% of local child care centers applied for the paycheck protection program, and just 8% applied for the economic injury disaster loan, Kelley said.

Burns said Lil’ Red Barn Academy did get a grant from the Department of Children, Youth and Families, but said the center is still deciding how to spend it. Child Care Aware is still collecting data on the DCYF grant, Kelley said.

For Lil’ Red Barn Academy, enrollment is the biggest problem, Burns said, because it drives revenue. The center has 33 licensed slots, far fewer than many other places, she said.

“It’s hard for small childcare centers. We count on having a full capacity, or close to it” to break even, she said.

In Washington, enrollment at child care centers is down 62%, Kelley said, and the licensed capacity is at 71%, leaving more spots open than usual.

“What we’re seeing right now is there’s still a lot of parents choosing to keep their children at home, so sites are having trouble keeping enrollment up high enough to stay viable,” she said.

Burns said after Lil’ Red Barn Academy reopened June 1, about 90% of students returned. She’s working now on filling the remaining open spots.

“I’ve enrolled a few kiddos since we’ve opened back up. It’s continually getting better, it’s just taking time to recoup and fill back up,” Burns said. “It’s not going to happen overnight.”

Child care itself is different now, too, Burns said. State guidelines call for frequent hand-washing, staff and older children wearing masks, temperature checks at the door, keeping children in small, socially distanced groups and deep cleaning procedures.

Lil’ Red Barn Academy has readily adapted to the new state guidance, Burns said, and parents are understanding of new procedures.

But Burns said wearing masks while chasing children around in the humid summer heat is exhausting, as is changing diapers while masked.

The center also had to adjust staffing levels to accommodate new timed pick-up and drop-offs with parents, Burns said, and the temperature checks aren’t always a perfect indicator of illness in children.

“It’s hard with toddlers to differentiate between a fever from teething or from something more than teething. We have to take it how it is and be more cautious,” she said.

That had led to a few children being sent home with too-high temperatures, Burns said, even though she was pretty sure it wasn’t from COVID-19.

“I need to exclude them temporarily even if it is just teething, but our parents have been very easygoing and understanding,” she said. “For the most part, it’s not too bad.”

Supply shortages have also posed a challenge. Burns said the center sometimes has trouble finding Lysol wipes and spray, but can find other cleaning supplies readily enough. According to Kelley, between 10% and 15% of southwest Washington centers are experiencing shortages of gloves, toilet paper, paper towels, soap, bleach and hand sanitizer.

Burns said item limits that some grocery stores have put into place for paper products, meat and cleaning supplies are a challenge, because the center’s owner does the shopping personally.

“For childcare centers like us who do all the shopping ourselves, the limitations on chicken are hard. We need more than one pack of chicken to last us, because we’re trying to feed the kids,” she said. “They have to limit it so everyone can get what they need, which I understand, but we don’t have that opportunity to get more (as a business).”

Despite all the COVID-related obstacles, it seems like Lil’ Red Barn Academy is going to survive the pandemic, Burns said.

“Two and a half months were rough. Luckily our parents hung on,” she said. “We decided it was time to come in, clean house, be cautious and be here for people who needed childcare.”