To fight what workforce leaders say is a drop in available child care spots, two local counties are using federal funding to help people start their own home-based child care businesses.

Increasing options is something one current child care owner backs.

With her own children all grown up, Michelle Sleicher craves the chaos that comes with watching other people’s kids.

“It's like having a second family," said Sleicher, founder of Tender Hearts Family Child Care.

She started Tender Hearts almost 15 years ago and since then, what started as a small business, has grown into much more.

“It’s just enlightening to see them grow and take their first steps and teaching them to talk; you’re feeding them," Sleicher said.

More than $200,000 has been given to Warren and Saratoga counties for people who want to start their own home child care business.

“In my community, there's only three family child cares. I get calls almost every day about openings and looking for positions," Sleicher said.

Sleicher won’t have another opening for more than a year. With new funding, the hope is to open 20 new home child care programs between the two counties. The funding helping with start-up costs like required trainings and supplies.

“Having the funds to take CPR, first aid classes or getting the trainings that you need. That funding would be available. When I started up, I didn't have anything like that," Sleicher said.

Since the pandemic, Warren County alone lost 40% of its child care seats and hasn’t been able to replenish them. When families can’t find child care, it affects the entire community, local leaders said.

“This is not just an issue for families,” said Liza Ochsendorf, Warren County director of Workforce Development. “Employers are the biggest beneficiaries of having quality and adequate child care in communities, because that allows more parents to get back into the workforce.”