It’s not uncommon for parents living in the rural community of Pomeroy to drive their kids to a child care facility 45 minutes away. For many, it’s not a choice, it’s a need.

Set in a remote stretch of southeastern Washington, Pomeroy is home to about 1,400 people. With the Blue Mountains to the south and the hilly Palouse agricultural region to the north, Pomeroy is a place where kids can ride their bikes to the community pool and raise livestock for 4H and FFA. It’s an appealing community for young families, which make up about 25% of the population.

Child care, though, is nonexistent. 

A few years ago, when Chelsey Eaton was pregnant with her son, she found herself grappling with the same question so many families do: What will we do for child care, and how will we afford it? The state offers child care subsidies for those who qualify, but they can only be used at a licensed child care facility or home-based program. Pomeroy doesn’t have any.

Photo courtesy of Kertis Creative

The nearest licensed provider is located about 35 miles down the road, on the other side of a mountain pass, charging $1,800 per month for each child enrolled. Eaton was trying to avoid that commute and be closer to her son in case he needed her. 

She found someone about 20 minutes away, but it didn’t work out. She found another option on Facebook, but was talked out of it by a coworker. Eventually, she found someone she trusted, a caregiver who has now watched her son Noah for years. 

“It still is a struggle. When you have to work and have a two-income household to live and you want to have kids, it’s really difficult,” she said. “It makes me question if I can have more kids responsibly. I know I’ll make it work, but at what expense? If you have child care, and not just child care but child care you can afford, it feels like a luxury.”

Photo courtesy of Kertis Creative

Eaton’s child care challenges are far from isolated. As similar accounts surfaced from families across the county of parents piecing together short-term solutions, rearranging work schedules, or considering leaving the community altogether, Garfield County public health officials took notice. They realized that not having child care options for families was causing a cascade of issues for everyone in Pomeroy. They recognized that a reliable child care option would support the community’s employment base, encourage locals to stay local, and strengthen the local economy. 

In response, Garfield County’s public health department prioritized finding a long-term child care solution and formed Pomeroy Community Connection, a nonprofit organization led by and for their community that focuses on addressing pressing needs, with solving the child care crisis set as its first priority. The department received a  $182,000 grant from the Washington State Department of Commerce and  $40,000 from the Garfield County Board of Commissioners to launch their effort, and the nonprofit has since gathered support from multiple local and regional private funders. Through these initial efforts, the path forward has become clear: Pomeroy Community Connection needs to open a child care center. And not just any child care, but quality, licensed child care that accepts state subsidies for families who qualify and remains affordable for those who don’t. 

Since they’re a nonprofit, Pomeroy Community Connection is not concerned with turning a profit. Their concern is creating a viable solution for their community.

Across rural America, licensed child care is scarce, expensive, and often located far from where families live and work. In many small towns, the economics simply don’t pencil out for private providers — margins are thin, staffing is hard, and facilities are costly to maintain. That leaves parents cobbling together informal arrangements, commuting long distances, or stepping out of the workforce altogether. What Pomeroy is trying to do is novel: a whole community, led by its public health department, building a long-term child care solution not driven by profit, but by what local families need to stay rooted, employed, and thriving.

Photo courtesy of Kertis Creative

Alesia Ruchert joined the public health district team to fill the role of Childcare Navigator, a position created to help “drive the bus” for the development of the licensed child care center, and now sits on the Pomeroy Community Connection Board of Directors. She’s seen instances where colleagues have chosen not to expand their families because of the lack of available child care in the area, and has heard of the astronomical prices of out of town options. 

“This is a component of economic development. How do we keep from being the community that has to close the doors, turn the lights out and walk away? It is in attracting and keeping those young families,” Ruchert said, underscoring three goals for the solution. “It’s not just affordable. It’s quality. Affordability, sustainability, and quality don’t always play well together.”

It was Ruchert who learned that the family who owned the local funeral home wanted to donate the building to Pomeroy Community Connection so it could continue to serve the community in a new way. The building is right in downtown Pomeroy, and as a child care facility, it will allow parents to stay close to their kids during the day, as they head off to work.

Photo courtesy of Kertis Creative

The organization is currently seeking additional funding to complete renovations on the building.Once the renovations are complete, the facility will be named in honor of the late funeral home owner, who Ruchert described as a prototypical “mama bear.” She unfortunately lost her battle with cancer, leaving behind her husband and three kids, and a dream to one day open an orphanage or school. 

“Donna’s Mama Bear Daycare and Learning Center” will continue her legacy of caring for children. 

“We feel like it brings the story full circle. It has the heart of the community reflected in the philanthropy and generosity and connection to the local community,” Ruchert said. “A place that celebrated the end of life is now going to celebrate the beginnings of life and nurturing lives.” 

What began as an individual struggle for parents has become a shared community effort to create something lasting. The new child care center is more than a service; it’s a reflection of a town choosing to care for its own and ensure a future where it not only survives, it thrives.