MOUNT VERNON, IA— Catherine Vavricek never expected her mornings to begin with a flurry of last-minute texts, scrambling to find someone to watch her kids. But for the mom of three—Korbin (10), Colton (6), and 15-month-old Cheyenne, who still doesn’t have steady childcare—it’s become part of her daily routine.

“I would say it’s almost daily, or at least three to five days a week, where I’m getting a message at 6 a.m. saying our sitter is sick or closed,” Catherine Vavricek said. “Then we’re scrambling, calling friends, hoping someone can help, or I have to call into work.”

Catherine and her husband both work full-time. She splits her time between working on the family farm and her remote job with the University of Iowa—but balancing that with full-time caregiving has become overwhelming. Their story is far from unique in the Mount Vernon and Lisbon, a region now classified as a “childcare desert.”

With a few licensed providers, long waitlists, and rising costs, local families are left patching together care wherever they can. From Facebook parent groups to informal babysitting swaps with friends, it’s a system built on improvisation and stress.

“Honestly, it’s been exhausting, our previous sitter had to leave because she needed better health insurance. And now we’re paying more than $200 a week for parttime care, if we can even find it,” Vavricek said.

Cheyenne’s name has been put on multiple waitlists, including the Lisbon Early Childhood Center (LECC). But getting in isn’t guaranteed. “Sometimes they don’t even get back to you. It’s like pulling teeth,” Vavricek said.

Craig Engel, a leader of the Mount Vernon-Lisbon Childcare Solutions group, understands the struggle. His organization formed in late 2022 after a survey by the League of Women Voters revealed a clear crisis of not having enough childcare spaces and providers to meet the demand.

“People that don’t have childcare can’t work fulltime because they have to care for their kids fulltime,” Engel said. “That’s a huge economic impact for families and for the community.”

The group is made up of about 25 local volunteers, who have raised over $110,000 through grassroot efforts. Nearly $80,000 of that has gone toward wage enhancements for childcare workers in the area. Another $10,000 in bonuses is being distributed this May, recently in the form of gift cards through a partnership with Gary’s Foods in Mount Vernon.

“These are direct wage supports to help retain staff. Childcare workers are the third lowest-paid profession in Iowa. We’re trying to fix that,” Engel said.

Childcare Solutions went to 34 businesses in the community and found in the recent surveys that 79% of local businesses believe more childcare options would boost the local economy. And 67% of parents said they would enroll their children if affordable care were available.

Catherine’s family has already lived through the fallout twice. After Corbin’s daycare closed during the pandemic, they scrambled to fill the gap. Then, another provider left due to health issues. Now, as Cheyenne approaches preschool age, they’re again piecing things together often relying on friends, or considering expensive wraparound programs.

“We’ve talked about relocating to North Liberty if I get a promotion, just for better access,” she admitted. “But I don’t want to rely on someone I don’t know. This is our community. We just need help here.”

Engel says the long-term vision could include a dedicated childcare facility in partnership with the school district or local churches. But that would require significant funding and staffing.

“The real conversation is: do we have the financial and human resources to build a center that can serve 100–125 kids?” Engel said.

In the meantime, efforts like the round-up fundraiser at Gary’s Foods aim to keep wage enhancements going and provide short-term relief. But families say the need goes far beyond gift cards.

“It’s hard to hear that providers aren’t getting paid enough while parents like us are struggling to pay more than ever,” Vavricek said. “Something here just isn’t adding up.”

As Mount Vernon and Lisbon continue to grow, so does the urgency. Without reliable childcare, working families are caught in the middle—trying to do it all, with too little support.

“If I could be a stay-at-home mom, I would,” Vavricek added. “But I can’t. And it doesn’t work that way.”