FAIRHOPE — There are just 20 infant childcare spots in the city of Fairhope, according to Autumn Zellner, owner and executive director of STARS Early Learning Academy. At her center, all eight spots are already filled, primarily by siblings of children already enrolled and children of employees.

For parents who need to work, that leaves few options.

The shortage is becoming increasingly difficult to overlook in an area that is adding thousands of residents each year. Baldwin County's population grew from 231,767 in the 2020 census to an estimated 267,761 in 2025, a 15.5% increase. Fairhope grew even faster, increasing 16.6% over the same period, from 22,477 residents to an estimated 26,625, according to the United States Census Bureau.

Childcare providers say the problem is not simply that more families need care. The supply of care is shrinking at the same time demand is increasing, leaving parents with long waitlists, limited choices and, particularly for infants, almost nowhere to go.

Providers say the consequences extend beyond individual families: Parents are delaying or leaving jobs, families are traveling outside their communities for care, and employers are having a harder time recruiting workers to a rapidly growing county."The growth is booming, but childcare is not," Zellner said. "In fact, in our area, childcare centers continue to fail."

The shortage affects infants the most. Zellner said most childcare centers in Fairhope do not accept babies, instead starting children at around 18 months. Infant care requires more teachers per child, making it significantly more expensive for providers to offer.

At STARS, Zellner said the center has eight infant spots, but those spots generally go to siblings of existing students and children of employees.

"We can't even bring in a new family when we have an infant spot," she said.

Johnnie Frost, owner and executive director of Kinder Kids Learning Center in Daphne, said her center's infant waitlist can stretch beyond a year. She estimates there are roughly 75 to 100 infant spaces across Daphne and Spanish Fort, based on licensed capacity and the number of infant classrooms she knows of.

"If you're a quality program, sometimes what the conversation with parents is is if the center has an opening, especially in those younger classrooms, really questioning the why of that opening," Frost said.

For parents, the shortage means finding childcare can become a months-long search rather than a routine part of preparing for a new job or a move.

Kylie Ross experienced that firsthand after moving back to Fairhope with her infant son. Ross, who works as a realtor, grew up in Fairhope and returned to the area last fall. Her son was about 7 or 8 months old when she began looking for childcare.

She assumed finding care would be manageable.

"I just kind of thought growing up here, I was like, a lot of people live here. Surely won't be a problem," Ross said.

Instead, she said many centers told her they could not potentially accommodate her until August — nearly a year away. She called childcare centers throughout the Eastern Shore and eventually expanded her search toward Interstate 10 and Foley. She also looked into hiring a nanny or finding in-home care.

After months of searching, a referral ultimately helped her get a spot at STARS.

"It was just serendipitous, but we just got really lucky," Ross said.

Ross said other parents she knows have not been as fortunate. Some have had to drive 25 or 30 minutes toward Daphne or the interstate to find care.

The search did not become easier when she looked beyond traditional daycare. Ross paid for memberships on nannying websites and searched for college-age babysitters. Even finding someone for in-home care took months.

"It wasn't cost prohibitive," Ross said. "It was literally just finding it."

While families are struggling to find care, providers say the number of available seats is also shrinking.

Zellner said four centers in the area have closed within the past six months, including Color Us Kids, Bright Beginnings, Good Beginnings and RFM.

In Daphne, Frost said two centers closed within roughly four weeks, eliminating about 150 childcare seats.

The closures have removed seats from a system that was already struggling to accommodate demand, and providers say the economics of childcare make replacing those seats difficult.

Childcare centers face rising insurance, labor and operating costs while trying to keep tuition affordable for families.

"Childcare is a very specific kind of business," Zellner said. "A lot of times churches go into it, but they don't necessarily have the expertise."

Frost said providers are caught between the actual cost of caring for children and what families can afford to pay.

"There is usually a very large gap between what it costs to care for one infant in your program versus what parents are actually charged," Frost said.

As licensed centers close or remain full, providers say families are increasingly turning to other arrangements, including informal or unregulated childcare.

Zellner said some of these arrangements are created by people who do not realize they need to be licensed.

"Most of it is unintended," she said. "A lot of times people don't know they're breaking rules."

But the shortage can leave parents feeling as though they have little choice.

"Mostly, what I see is parents putting their children in places they would never want their children to be spending time in because they don't have any other choice," Zellner said. "They have to work."

This comes to the larger issue providers say Baldwin County is facing: Childcare is not just a family issue; it is increasingly a workforce issue.

Baldwin County's rapid population growth has brought new businesses, housing developments and workers, but providers say childcare is often left out of conversations about the infrastructure needed to support that growth.

Frost said her centers have been contacted by recruiters trying to bring workers to the area who need to secure childcare before they can move.

"We've been called several times where a recruiter will say, 'Hey, I need a space because I need this person to move there, but they need to secure childcare before they get there,'" she said.

Zellner said her center also receives calls from families who have accepted jobs in Baldwin County only to discover they cannot find childcare.

"These families are moving here with the promise of a new job and have no idea that there's no childcare available to them," she said.

For Ross, the connection between childcare and work became personal after having her first child.

"I was changing careers ... so I was trying to juggle whether I could work full time or not; having to think it through," she said.

She said the experience changed how she thinks about moving to a growing community with young children.

"I mean, it sucks to have to figure out, you know, can I keep working or do I have to stay home with my kids, if you really love the job or whatever it may be?" Ross said.

Providers say addressing the shortage will require treating childcare as part of the infrastructure needed to support Baldwin County's continued growth.

Frost said communities regularly plan for roads, bridges and schools as populations increase, but childcare often isn't part of those conversations.

"We talk about making sure we have enough seats in our public schools," Frost said. "Making sure our roads, bridges and services can handle that growth, but the one thing that sometimes I would say more often than not is missing from even that master plan is what about the services like childcare that support the families that are moving into the community?"

Zellner said one of the biggest obstacles to expanding childcare is finding suitable space.

"I feel like I can find the workers," she said. "... If you're going to build 200 houses, then there needs to be a daycare center in that neighborhood," Zellner said.

For families already trying to find care, however, the problem is no longer abstract.

Ross said her experience has changed what she would tell anyone considering moving to Baldwin County with young children.

"Go ahead and start calling daycares as soon as possible," she said.

For a county adding tens of thousands of residents, parents and childcare providers say that planning may have to begin long before the moving truck arrives.

Gabriella Chavez is a Report for America corps member who writes about growth and development in Baldwin County and our natural spaces for Gulf Coast Media. Your donation to match our RFA grant helps keep her writing stories like this one; please consider making a tax-deductible gift of any amount today.