MAGNA, Utah — Childcare is returning to the Magna Recreation Center, but in a different form.
A nonprofit will offer services at the rec center and help fill a gap. This comes after Salt Lake County ended its childcare services at the Magna center in May.
In November, the Salt Lake County Council announced it would shut down county-run childcare programs at Kearns, Northwest, Magna, and Millcreek facilities. County leaders say keeping them open would have cost about $2 million, money they allegedly didn’t have.
In March, county leaders said they were exploring a new option — bringing nonprofit providers to run childcare programs in those same spaces. The plan would prioritize low-income families.
But some families say that option has created a new gap.
FOX 13 News checked in with the Bowser family, who we first met last November. They say they’re now caught in that gap.
Three-year-old Carmen Bowser now spends her days at home. Carmen used to attend childcare at the Magna Recreation Center. “She still thinks that’s her school. Sometimes she’ll ask and be like, ‘Am I going to school today?’ No honey, there’s no more school for you to go to,” Angelique Bowser said.
The Bowser family says they work from home.
“We’re making do by keeping our kid at home. We’re very fortunate; we’re very lucky to have that ability,” Andrew Bowser said.
At the same time, the nonprofit Utah Community Action is stepping in to meet a need.
Stacy Weight with Utah Community Action said the group will begin operating childcare services inside the recreation center in August. “Magna has the highest wait lists for our program,” Weight said. "We notice as more and more families have to move outside the center of SLC into these communities where there’s a little bit more affordable housing, that’s where we see more of a need for these childcare services."
But even with the new program, not every family qualifies.
The Bowser family says they fall just above the income threshold for the program, which they say leaves them without affordable options. “It’s been very stressful for us as a couple, for her older sister who has to take on more roles than she probably wanted to,” Angelique Bowser said.
“All of these other facilities around us are too expensive or all filled up,” she added.
Emily Diaz, a mother of two, said she first turned to the nonprofit’s services while homeless and escaping a trafficking situation. “I was able to get my life on track and get my recovery stabilized,” Diaz said. “I was able to pull my family out of poverty.”
Weight said some families may still qualify through other pathways, like foster care or having a child with a documented disability. She says enrollment is open year-round.
Families like the Bowsers say there just aren’t enough childcare options in Magna right now to meet the need. “It’s been a real struggle; it’s been a real frustrating experience,” Andrew Bowser said.
