Even before the pandemic hit, the Adirondack region was dubbed a “child care desert,” with families across the park facing a shortage of certified day care providers.
The child care landscape is “bombed out and pitted,” said Jamie Basiliere, executive director of the Child Care Coordinating Council of the North Country, speaking in this Explorer article by Adam Federman.
Over the next few months on the Almanack, we’ll be highlighting “big picture” needs like this, as well as some of the innovative, grassroots approaches to solving them. Working in partnership with the Adirondack Foundation, we’ll focus on the findings that Adam Federman uncovered when working on a white paper for the Foundation last year. Click here to read the overview of the “Adirondack community needs” series. For the first installment, we started with working families and child care shortages.
And for a real-time example of solid community-based planning, check out this recent story on the Explorer’s website about Long Lake. Town leaders are working with consultants to create a community development plan that balances economic sustainability with the rural, small-town feel that we all love about the Long Lake region.
What’s new
A GREAT CAMP’S FUTURE: On Thursday, the Adirondack Park Agency discussed the proposal to remove Debar Pond Lodge from state-owned land in northern Franklin County. Despite public support for preserving the historic lodge, the buildings are nonconforming. READ MORE
- Reporter Gwen Craig has this meeting coverage. READ MORE
- Next up: The APA and DEC announced another round of public comments and a public hearing in January. READ MORE
- Almanack contributor Lorraine Duvall visited the property and recorded her impressions. READ MORE
A LOW-SODIUM CELEBRATION: Proponents of the Randy Preston Road Salt Reduction Act celebrated the governor’s signing of the bill this past week. The act establishes a 15-member task force and a three-year pilot plan and test study in the Adirondacks. READ MORE
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