How Globe-Miami lost its childcare options

The need for and lack of childcare has been a longstanding issue in the Globe-Miam area. With little to no public daycare centers and very few licensed providers, some parents have turned to staying home with their children instead of working or have to spend a lot of time searching for affordable care.

For more than 40 years, the Pinal-Gila Community Child Services operated Head Start programs in both Globe and Miami. These programs provided care in licensed facilities for ages 18 months to five years old. The full-time Head Start program ended in Globe in 2019 and the full-time Head Start program in Miami scaled back to home-based services around 2023. Each program had been serving around 30 kids in the classrooms each day. 

According to Pam Trobaugh, who worked at the Miami Head Start for 10 years, the cutbacks happened when Arizona minimum wage increased. Because Head Start is federally funded and that amount didn’t change, it wasn’t sustainable to pay employees and keep the facilities running. 

Trobaugh said there is a company she has been assisting that is looking into developing a childcare facility in Globe-Miami. She said they want to open a facility for infants and toddlers, but are hitting roadblocks. 

The company initially looked into the former Globe Head Start building at 160 E. Murphy St. since it was already set up for childcare. Trobaugh was brought on as a consultant and they attempted contact with multiple City of Globe employees with no response. She said she met with some employees in person and they asked for more information, and then again didn’t respond. 

After the September 2025 flood, Trobaugh said she met with the Mayor Al Gameros and he said he was going to work on getting the city staff to reply. She said he did inform her that this situation had been discussed in executive session. Trobaugh said she went to a city council meeting in April and informed them that she and others had been working on this childcare facility for two to three years at this point. 

There also was a brief mention about the building possibly being used for city staff, Trobaugh said, and a discussion about it being used for 4-H. It was also mentioned that Gila Community College had been looking into it for childcare as well. She reached out to Melissa Steele, economic development manager for the City of Globe, and was referred to Andrea Renon, campus director at the community college. Renon informed her they are going to be working with the Miami Activities Center, in conjunction with Miami Unified School District and Cobre Valley Youth Club, and are excited about having a place available for students to work on early childhood development. 

Through this process of trying to secure use of the building, Trobaugh said she also discovered that in-home daycare providers had also been looking into the empty building to use for childcare. No one seemed to be making any headway. 

The original company that Trobaugh was assisting said they just wanted to move on and will be working with the Town of Miami and was already in contact with Alexis Rivera, town manager.

The brickwall that is being hit with the use of the Murphy Street building has been nothing short of frustrating for Trobaugh, “The building could have been being used 3 years ago,” but due to lack of response or action it is sitting empty. 

Miami Head Start closed their classrooms about three years ago and kept on two staff members that had worked there for a long time. Trobaugh said there are about 20 families that the staff work with in their homes, and that the families are invited to the building once per month for social activities and to get a classroom feel. “It’s a wonderful program,” she said.

Trobaugh added that it’s difficult to become a licensed in-home provider. “There aren’t many in town anymore, less than 10. It’s a lot of work,” she said. “There are licensing fees, fire inspections, and a lot of things involved.” 

Another local provider was The Rock Preschool/Daycare run by the Salvation Army. They were licensed through the Arizona Department of Health Services and provided childcare for ages three to five. The Salvation Army program closed several years ago – leaving local families with one less childcare option. 

According to Scott Johnson, public relations director of the Salvation Army Southwest Division, after the COVID pandemic, there were not enough kids coming to the daycare program to make it financially sustainable. 

With the closure of these programs, parents are running into increased hardship when looking for providers – lack of availability or it’s beyond what they can afford.

Lacey, mother of two, was born and raised in Globe-Miami and moved back in 2017 after being away for a while. She said, “I’m a single mom and was working when I got pregnant.” She said she had the standard six weeks off after having her daughter, but didn’t have help from family due to the ages of her parents, and other family and friends “have their own lives.” 

She said finding childcare for her youngest child, now three years old, was challenging. Her gross income put her just over the income to qualify for childcare assistance through the Department of Economic Security. And after mortgage, a car payment, and other bills, private providers were out of her price range. 

“Luckily after searching and word of mouth, I did find a couple of good ladies that are affordable, about $100 a week,” she said. 

With childcare providers in this town, Lacey added, “It’s a real mixed bag. Some providers are really pricey and some are reasonable. You eventually have to look through them all and have to find the right fit. I’m pretty fortunate that I have an awesome boss. If something happens, I can take time off.”  

Even though the lack of childcare has been an issue for a while, there is hope on the horizon with the new company looking into opening in Miami and also with the Miami Activity Center hoping to provide full-time childcare options by next summer. 

Establishing safe, healthy facilities is on the minds of many and these new opportunities could help provide families with the reliable, affordable childcare they need.