WEST VALEY CITY, Utah — Utah families continue to grapple with a significant childcare crisis because of high cost, limited access, and a shortage of providers.
More than 75 percent of Utah families live in childcare deserts, leaving parents scrambling for affordable options.
In January, I spoke with childcare provider Anna Ek, who was struggling to keep her in-home center running. Since then, she’s had to move.
“Our whole mission of affordable quality care is going down the drain,” she said
But even for providers like Ek, who are trying to keep care affordable for families, it’s a balancing act.
Ek is the founder of The Mom Pod Co., a childcare center based in West Valley City. When we spoke in January, she was working two jobs to keep her center in Taylorsville running.
“I don’t know what the world wants from me except for they want affordable, quality, care. But nobody wants to invest in it," she exclaimed.
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Under Utah State law, licensed family childcare providers can care for up to 16 children. Ek says the city of Taylorsville only allowed her to care for 12 children, which has forced her to move to a church in another city.
She's still struggling to afford rent and can’t meet the requirements the church has asked of her, including caring for more kids.
“People think, 'Oh, just add more kids and then you’ll have more money. And then it’ll be easier to do the things you need to do.' But very rarely is quality able to be maintained with high quantity,” she explained.
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Sen. Luz Escamilla (D-Salt Lake City) introduced a bill that would convert unused state-owned buildings into childcare facilities. In March, that bill was killed by the Utah House during the legislative session.
Many mothers, such as Allison Bailey, would have benefited from the bill. She says finding quality care for her two sons, who were recently diagnosed with ADHD, has been challenging.
“Finding a quality daycare that truly cares about your kids is extremely difficult out here because it's about money or they don’t pay attention to the kids like they should, or they’re understaffed," Bailey said.
Mindy Montoya has looked for affordable childcare for months and found one in Taylorsville, but has to drive nearly an hour to get there.
“As a single working mom, there’s not a lot of options,” Montoya shared.
As for Ek, she says she and her childcare center may have to move again soon.
“It’s so many sleepless nights," she admitted. "And just like, what are we going to do next?”
