New solution to child care crisis opens in Salt Lake City

“It’s such a formative time and it’s such a need for parents,” Nuttal said.

The lack of affordable child care in Utah has been called a crisis that threatens Utah families.  The two biggest hurdles of child care are access and affordability.

According to Voices for Utah Children, 77% of Utah’s population lives in a childcare desert, where there is not enough childcare for the population.  Many rural counties have no licensed child care facilities at all.

The Department of Health and Human Services says child care should not cost more than 7% of a person’s income.  However, according to Voices for Utah Children, in Utah, the cost typically amounts to 17%.

For example, in Grand County, it’s 45%. The going rate for preschool can exceed $900 a month.

At Spark, enrollment, like housing costs, operates on a sliding scale, based on income. Child care could start as low as $125.00 a month.

“If you look at the statistics right now, people are really struggling.  I’m sure all the viewers know, it’s hard right now,” Nuttall said.

This project is a collaboration years in the making. The Neighborhood House partnered with Brinshore Development, which has developed similar housing models in other cities.

They fund the child care center with public grants and financing, and private donations.  Interestingly, some of the funding comes come a well-known philanthropy, whose namesake used to be a student at Neighborhood House, Larry H. Miller.

They are already working to raise funding and identify possible venues for other sites in Utah so they can extend the benefits to more Utah families.

“We’re excited about the possibilities, because there are other venues that are going up, other affordable housing complexes and we’re seeing that everyone’s getting excited about this as a model,” Nuttall said.