Parents react to the lack of transparency that lead to closing of their county daycares
Oct 31, 2025, 3:38 PM | Updated: 7:24 pm
The Salt Lake County Council met on Tuesday, Oct. 15 to discuss the Property Watch flyer sent with the yearly property tax notices. (Salt Lake County Council)
(Salt Lake County Council)
SALT LAKE CITY — Earlier this week, the Salt Lake County council voted to close all of four of its daycares operating out of county recreation centers.
The county council voted five to four to close the centers because they cost the county around $2 million dollars to operate. The centers only serve up to 300 families in the summer and about 271 during the school year. To many on the council, the numbers just weren’t worth it.
“In any other circumstance or business, it wasn’t meeting the metrics of what it should possibly be doing, and as we looked at those type of things, it didn’t make sense to keep it open,” said council member at large Laurie Stringham.
Council member Jiro Johnson also proposed an alternative option to have nonprofits or other groups take over the daycares, but the council ultimately shot it down.
The families will need to find new childcare options by the end of the year, but Johnson and other council members told KSL they will help the families while they do that.
Parents react
Salt Lake County parents are still concerned about finding a replacement that is affordable and accessible.
“It’s going to be hard. I don’t know what we are going to do for childcare. I’m just sitting here debating, especially anything that’s affordable. I think this is just going to make things really hard for a lot of families, not having access to childcare,” said Liz, a parent who uses the daycare.
She also said they offer transportation to and from the schools, which is very hard to find.
Parents are also shocked that there wasn’t more of an effort to involve community members and county child care employees in the decision.
Liz said she only heard of the decision when she dropped off her son.
Mayte Mata, another parent who relies on the daycare, said she almost didn’t open the email that notified them of the closures.
But when she did, she went home and watched the recording of the county council meeting.
“The agenda said ‘Informational Discussion.’ But in the middle of the meeting, it became a vote. I watched blurry slides where the numbers were impossible to read,” Mata said. “Someone spoke who was not even listed in the agenda. There was no real discussion with families. No questions from the community.”
Now Mata wonders why the major stakeholders, the families and the employees of the daycares, weren’t involved in the decision.
Parents ask for change
“We are not asking the County to ignore the financial reality. We are asking to be part of the solution,” said Mata via a media release.
Mata said what she and other parents want is more transparency when it comes to these decisions.
What they are asking for:
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Share the full report. Parents deserve to see the complete analysis, not only selected slides.
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Listen to families. Organize meetings at each center at times when working parents can attend.
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Test income-based fees. We are open to paying more, but not everyone can afford the same.
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Invite volunteers. Many parents are ready to help with events, cleaning, or community outreach.
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Be clear about the future. If these buildings are part of other projects, such as Olympic plans, tell us.
