Childcare affordability is a challenge that touches nearly every family in Park City and Summit County, and it is one that Park City Community Foundation hears about often through its work with the Early Childhood Alliance. Recently, Kristen Schulz, Early Childhood Alliance Director, shared her perspective on the issue in a statewide op-ed published in Utah News Dispatch, titled “Stop pretending Utah families can afford child care.” 

In the piece, Schulz examines a proposed change to Utah’s child care subsidy program that would sharply narrow who qualifies for help, even as demand for support continues to grow. Here is an excerpt from her op-ed: 

 Utah should not let federal funding formulas dictate the level of investment in our children and families. In order to fulfill the House Majority 26 Policy Priority to “continue aligning policy to support marriage and family stability, cut costs for families, and cultivate a culture that encourages and makes it easier to raise children,” Utah must invest state funds to ensure that every child has an equal opportunity to a quality educational foundation that will prepare them to grow, learn, and succeed. 

Despite taking pride in being family-friendly, even The New York Times was surprised that Utah leads the country in plummeting fertility rates. Given the unaffordability of raising a family in Utah (the current estimate is that it takes an annual income of $203,943 to afford childcare in Utah), it is not surprising that the Ken C. Gardner Policy Institute predicts that Utah’s fertility rate will continue to decline until it eventually converges with the also-declining national rate. 

If we really want Utah to be family friendly, then we must invest in our families. Nothing magical happens when a child turns 5 that makes them worthy of public investment in their care and education. Yet the difference in public investment in care and education before and after the age of 5 is staggering: our government spends approximately $1,985 a year per child for children before kindergarten and $17,592 per year, per child ages 5 through 18. 

To make matters worse, Utah plans to cut approximately $21 million from its childcare subsidy program as a result of reduced allocations from the federal Child Care Development Fund (CCDF). Utah’s childcare subsidy program currently serves only about 15% of eligible children (aged 5 and under) and the payments to providers do not cover the cost of high-quality childcare. This reduction in funding comes as Utah families’ demand for this program continues to increase. 

Continue reading Schulz’s op-ed at Utah News Dispatch, and reach out to state lawmakers as she suggests. To learn more about how Park City Community Foundation supports local families through the Early Childhood Alliance, visit https://parkcitycf.org/initiatives/early-childhood-alliance/.