Like many child-care businesses in the Philadelphia region, Wonderspring Early Education in Narberth has been struggling to find employees amid a tight labor market, despite offering higher pay and signing bonuses, writes Kris Maher for The Wall Street Journal.

Zakiyyah Boone, Wonderspring CEO, has been passing out business cards to employees at fast-food drive-through windows, distributing fliers to local nonprofits and universities, offering higher pay and signing bonuses of up to $2,000, but very few people have shown any interest.

“Some jobs have gone for months with no applicants at all,” she said.

The nonprofit currently has 300 children on the waiting list and several classrooms sitting empty and could take in some of them if she could find teachers.

A Wonderspring center that opened in West Philadelphia in April only has enough staff for 25 children, while its capacity is 123 students.

Only three of its seven classrooms are currently open. Meanwhile, a Pottstown after-school program had to close altogether after it could not find enough teachers.

The organization is currently being kept afloat by a Paycheck Protection Program loan of $2 million and other pandemic-related relief, but the future remains uncertain.

Read more about Wonderspring Early Education in The Wall Street Journal.