An Update From The Other Side Of The “Childcare Cliff”

*Updated October 17 to include the latest budget proposal from Summit County.

September 30 has come and gone, and we are now on the other side of what people have been calling the “childcare cliff.” Although that term accurately conveys the drastic drop in federal funding that was stabilizing childcare providers nationwide, the fallout will likely be more of a slow unraveling than a sharp cliff-like drop. As Brigette Weier said in a recent KPCW article, “It’s not just going to happen Sunday, Oct. 1, like the pandemic where we just shut down… it’ll look like a waterfall, where people just kind of keep falling over the edge until somebody notices.”

In the coming months and years, we would expect to see increased tuition, teacher pay cuts and layoffs, centers reducing the number of classrooms, or closing all together. The Century Foundation estimates that Utah is one of only six states that is predicted to have the number of licensed programs possibly be cut by half or more, affecting more than 35,000 kids, and causing Utah parents to lose $101 million in earnings as a result of being forced to cut work hours or leave the workforce.

Below is a quick update on where things currently stand, locally and more broadly. We also include a handful of action items you can take to help stabilize our providers and families in Summit County, Utah.

Advocacy and Funding Update:

Additional funding proposals at the federal and state levels have failed so far. The hope was that the stabilization funding provided in the American Rescue Plan Act would be continued as part of the Build Back Better plan, but that was not the case. There is currently a Childcare Stabilization Act that has been proposed, but given the current disputes in Washington D.C. over government spending, it seems unlikely to pass. Similarly, the state of Utah has rejected various proposals that would have extended funding. Many local businesses and organizations have been donating to support our early care and education ecosystem, but we need local governments’ support.

Park City Council

As background, the Early Childhood Alliance and the Summit County Economic Development Department prepared a Summit County Childcare Needs Assessment, and then created a companion needs assessment specific to the municipal limits of Park City. ECA then proposed the Park City Cares About Kids plan, which included the creation of a childhood stabilization fund of $2 million/annually in an effort to make up for the disappearing federal funding, help stabilize our childcare centers, and lessen the financial burden on families with young children who live or work in Park City’s municipal boundaries. The council approved $1 million in one-time funding to be used to support those who live and/or work in 84060.

Park City Council agreed upon how those funds will be used (see screenshot below) and are in the process of selecting an organization to distribute funds to eligible families. You can check your potential eligibility here and we will share out the application process as soon as it’s available.

Park City Council also recently approved a lease to PC Tots for a heavily reduced price of $120/year, which allows the nonprofit center to open its third location and serve an additional 20 children between the ages of 3-5.

Summit County Council

In hopes of supporting the greater Park City and Summit County communities, we are now advocating that Summit County Council follows Park City’s lead and invest 2024 funds to increase access to and affordability of early care and education. The Early Childhood Alliance proposed a $3 million investment. Local funding stays local (in contrast, the Park City Education Foundation estimates 96% of our state-collected education tax dollars leave Park City) and can be tailored to respond to our community’s specific needs and support critical services while also providing flexibility for innovation. Local programs are accountable to the people who live and work in our community.

In the current Manager’s Budget Presentation, Summit County is proposing $150,000 towards Summit County employee childcare support. “Childcare expenses outside of meeting organizational needs” is included in the group of unfunded programs that merit additional discussion. Our community needs to prioritize our children’s early care and education in order to move childcare from the “unfunded programs” list into the actual budget. Children who are born here should have an opportunity to thrive here, and they only get one chance to build a solid foundation for future success.

We are in the process of partnering with community members and other organizations to convince council members that this issue is critical to our community’s well-being and deserves substantial investment in next year’s budget. The longer we wait to invest, the more expensive it will become to address. Research continues to demonstrate that services for young children provide the biggest return on investment for public dollars. Yet these less expensive and preventive services often do not receive the resources they need, which leads to reactive interventions that cost local taxpayers more in the long run. Moreover, if current providers are forced to raise tuition, close classrooms, cut staff wages/benefits, or close their doors entirely, the cost to our community will be widespread.

Summit County’s budget will be finalized in early December, so we will continue to encourage the County in the coming weeks to invest more substantial funds in our local kids next year.

5 Ways to Advocate for Childcare Locally:

• Email Summit County Council: Write a brief email to council members (CountyCouncil@summitcounty.org) and let them know why affordable childcare is important/your personal story + that you support using tax dollars to support access to high-quality, affordable childcare. Even if you’ve written an email before, please send another!

• Speak up at County Council Meetings: Show up and speak out during a Summit County Council meeting, which happens weekly on Wednesdays. Public comment starts at 6 pm. You can also join via Zoom (https://zoom.us/j/772302472) and comment from home.

• Sign up for email updates: Sign up for emails from Early Childhood Alliance here.

• Share! Talk to your friends and family about this issue, follow @earlychildhoodalliance and @utahcareforkids on social media and share out resources with your network. You can learn more about the issue here. Many people don’t realize what is happening, so one of the best things we can do is raise awareness by chatting to loved ones and community members and educating them.

Our goal is to continue collaborating across sectors and key stakeholders to find solutions that support providers and families alike. If you have questions, suggestions, or a story to share, please reach out.