Salt Lake County Council votes to cut parks and recreation child care program funding

SALT LAKE CITY — The Salt Lake County Council voted in favor of eliminating funding for the parks and recreation child care program on Tuesday.

The decision comes after the county commissioned the Pathway Group, a consulting firm, to conduct a study earlier this year examining the financial viability of licensed child care at four county-run centers.

 

The report presented during the meeting found that while centers provide adequate preschool and after-school care, they are not financially self-sustaining.

The decision was made as part of the county’s annual budget process.

The parks and recreation department’s child care program serves 271 families during the school year and around 300 families during the summer, Robin Chalhoub, director of community services, noted.

Liz, a Salt Lake County resident, said the move may have her scrambling to find future child care.

“I would just love to be able to discuss this with people who have made these decisions,” she said.

Liz said she’s enjoyed using the child care program and appreciated its affordability.

The Pathway Group’s report found that the program faces a $2 million subsidy and is significantly underpriced compared to other local day care centers.

The report also found that programs at county-run centers are also underutilized, operating at just 50% capacity.

Chalhoub said the programs began to see a decline in the number of families using them after the COVID-19 pandemic.

The child care programs are licensed by the state of Utah and reviewed annually by child care licensing inspectors, according to the county’s website.

The programs provide care and activities for children through preschool, before- and after-school programs, and summer day camps.

The four centers offering the programs set to be impacted include the Kearns Recreation Center, the Magna Recreation Center, the Millcreek Activity Center and the Northwest Activity Center.

The analysis suggested that the county consider a 20% annual fee increase over a period of five years to be imposed on residents who use the service, to help reach market rates for child care.

However, the council instead decided to nix the child care program from the county facilities. Its members voted 5-4 to cut the program.

Councilmember Laurie Stringham said that she and Councilwoman Aimee Winder Newton have been working toward closing the day care centers for several years. She also noted that the state operates a special program for child care.

“And that is probably the most appropriate place for it to come from. It is not a county-provided item that we should be taking on,” she said.

That program is provided by the Department of Workforce Services, and rates are based on a family’s income.

“We recognize that this news creates a significant challenge for your family,” a letter from the parks and recreation department emailed to families, which was sent to KSL, reads. “Our immediate priority is to support you in finding alternative, high-quality child care. To assist you, we are compiling a list of local licensed child care providers and other community resources.”

The County Council was expected to make its final decision on the matter at its meeting on Dec. 9, but since the program would end a few weeks later on Dec. 31, the council wanted to alert families in advance so they could begin making arrangements for child care at the start of the new year.

Councilmember Suzanne Harrison proposed an alternative motion that would have extended the program by an extra month to give families more time to find new daycare options. Harrison’s motion failed.

Councilmember Natalie Pinkney, who opposed the child care funding cuts, acknowledged the hundreds of families who could be affected by the council’s decision.

“I just want to apologize to all the families who are going to have this program cut,” she said.