Flagstaff leaders, nonprofits and NAU outline steps after recent childcare center closures amid wider regional shortage

City of Flagstaff officials, early-childhood providers and nonprofit partners told the City Council on May 13 that Flagstaff and Greater Coconino County face a severe shortage of child care, especially for infants and toddlers, and described next steps to identify funding and scale local programs.

Rebecca Serzian, director of the Northern Arizona University Early Learning and Development Center, told council members, “what is the child care crisis? It is defined as diminished access to childcare due to high costs, poor quality, mixed regulations across the state and federal landscape, and no common funding stream.” She said two locally licensed centers, The Arc and Kingdom Kids, recently closed, removing about 50 child-care slots from the community and prompting immediate family relocation and employment disruptions for parents.

The shortage is concentrated among the youngest children. Serzian and city staff said the number of licensed slots for 1‑year‑olds in Flagstaff is very small — “less than 10%” of providers accept 1‑year‑olds — and infant/toddler care is the…