Twelve years before the current coronavirus pandemic, Shaun Rose helped save his childrens day care center from closing down. The church that housed the Bethesda, Maryland, center in its basement said the arrangement no longer worked.

Rose sprinted into action, got himself onto the centers board of directors, helped find a new space and oversaw the construction of the centers new home.

Ultimately, he helped grow the Rock Spring Childrens Center into a bigger school, with 176 kids, from infants to preschoolers. Rose, now 48, became the centers director, leaving his job as a math teacher and fulfilling what felt like a calling.

That was going to be the story of my lifetime, Rose said.

Now hes not so sure. Turns out, the center needs another rescue because of the COVID-19 pandemic and the resulting economic shutdown.

Rose is one of many child care providers facing the possibility that their centers wont survive the pandemic. But Im going to try, said Rose, who also does advocacy work for the Maryland State Childcare Association.

Roughly half of all available slots in licensed child care centers and homes are at risk of disappearing because of the pandemic, according to an analysis released Friday morning by the National Association for the Education of Young Children and the Center for American Progress that looks at data collected by both groups.