The number of child care providers in Somerset County rose 3.85% between Jan. 1, 2020, and Jan. 1, 2024. That’s the only increase in the state. However, that increased followed a 38.8% drop in the number of providers between 2017 and 2021. And the number of providers in 2024 -- 27 -- remains far short of the 37 that were open in 2017.
Meanwhile, the number of child care slots in Somerset County decreased from 534 on Jan. 1, 2020, to 529 on Jan. 1, 2024. That’s a 0.94% decrease — the third smallest in the state. The number of slots fell more dramatically during the COVID-19 pandemic, only to rebound in recent years.
The number of top-rated child care facilities -- those with a rating of 5 on the state's EXCELS rating system -- in the county fell from six in early 2020 to four early this year.
Here's what Karen Karten, early childhood supervisor and Judy Center supervisor for Somerset County Public Schools, had to say about the child care situation in the county:
"We are a child care desert in Somerset County. We have very few child care providers."
-- Jenna Bloom and Jerry Zremski