RALEIGH, N.C. — Finding child care last minute has always been a challenge for working parents, but the pandemic took the task to a whole new level. 

What You Need To Know 

Babysitting referral services are in high demand 

Stellar Sitters has seen influx in business as daycares close temporarily due to COVID-19 exposures 

COVID-19 exposures have left many parents scrambling for caretakers 

“The calls I’m getting these days are, 'hey, my kid just had a COVID exposure in their daycare, and their class is closed for two weeks, and we need a temporary sitter for two weeks,' and then I scramble and try to piece it together," said Amanda Bordeaux, the founder of Stellar Sitters, a babysitting referral company in Wake County. 

On top of placing sitters with families, she’s also looking for people to staff 10 church nurseries for the upcoming Easter holiday. 

“I’ve got an influx of clients, which I am so thankful for, but we’ve got high demand, and we’ve got low supply," Bordeaux said.

With mask mandates relaxed and vaccines more widely available, it may appear as though normalcy is near. However, Bordeaux says many centers that care for children under 5 are still not out of the woods.

“I think it is going to kind of ebb and flow," said Bordeaux. "Hopefully, we will continue to see a decrease.”