A Crisis Of Care For Nantucket’s Littlest Residents

To the editor: Amid Nantucket's busiest season, two of our island's few infant and toddler care providers unexpectedly closed their doors. While one closure was due to a heartbreaking family crisis, both have exposed the fragile state of early childhood care on Nantucket—leaving dozens of families scrambling for care for their children ages 0 to 3.

This isn't just a summer inconvenience — it's a wake-up call for a crisis that has been growing for years.

While the island has made important strides expanding Pre-K access, we've unintentionally left our youngest islanders behind. For working families with infants and toddlers, there are now few licensed, reliable care options. This is unsustainable for parents, employers, and our community.

When families can't find care, one parent — most often the mother — is forced to reduce hours or leave the workforce altogether. On Nantucket, where the cost of living is extremely high, surviving on a single income is unrealistic for most families.

The first three years of life are critical for child development, and children thrive with consistent, high-quality care. Yet we continue to treat infant and toddler care as an afterthought.

I don't know what the solution is — but I know we can't ignore this any longer. This moment demands a serious, community-wide conversation about supporting our youngest residents and the caregivers who make it possible for families to live and work here.

I hope others — parents, providers, business owners, and local leaders — will recognize the urgency of this crisis and join the conversation. The future of our families — and our island — depends on it.

Kristie Ferrantella