Childcare/Pre-K Programs

Utah families face significant challenges navigating the childcare landscape with issues related to accessibility, affordability, and quality complicating the very personal and critical decisions families face. The U.S. Department of the Treasury has identified a “market failure” in the childcare sector, indicating a disconnect between the current services and what’s in the best interest of children and families. The childcare industry operates as a private market where the cost for both consumers and childcare business owners limits the system’s ability to support families. Additionally, those who work in childcare often do not earn a living wage. A Bolder Way Forward Childcare/Pre-K Programs Spoke and key partners are working together to improve access to affordable, high-quality childcare and pre-K programs to ensure the long-term health and prosperity of Utah children, families, and the state.

A Bolder Way Forward Childcare/Pre-K Programs Spoke supports the efforts of partner organizations by collecting and creating resources, connecting individuals and organizations, and disseminating information to increase awareness of the need for access to affordable, high-quality childcare and early childhood development opportunities. Together, we are working to ensure the long-term health and prosperity of Utah children, families, and the state. To learn more, check out the resource box below.

Key Partners

Promise Partnership
Supported by United Way of Salt Lake, Promise Partnership unites individuals, non-profits, businesses, and government organizations to transform the educational environment for Utah kids. Promise Partnership works so that all Utah kids are ready for school, better in school, and successful in life. Their goal is for all children in Utah to enter kindergarten ready to learn.

Utah State Board of Education - Preschool Education
The Utah State Board of Education (USBE) Preschool team is committed to supporting families, educators and communities in fostering the healthy development of preschool aged children by emphasizing the importance of play-based learning, social-emotional development, and preparing children for a seamless transition into kindergarten. USBE regularly updates core standards, provides resources, gathers data, and connects early childhood education stakeholders across the state.

Bold Vision & Goals

To make Utah a place where more girls and women can thrive, the Childcare/Pre-K spoke is focused on the vision and goals below.

Vision: Ensure that affordable, accessible, and high-quality childcare and other early childhood development opportunities are available for all Utah families.

Goals:

Help improve the quality of early childhood development and kindergarten readiness by encouraging providers and parents to participate in USBE’s Pre-Kindergarten Entry and Exit Profile (PEEP) assessment program. [Metric Forthcoming]
Increase awareness of resources available for families by promoting childcare and early childhood development resources from key partner organizations (increasing website traffic by 5% annually). [Metric Forthcoming]
Share research and gather recommendations from providers and industry professionals.
1. Share the Utah Childcare Solutions and Workplace Productivity Plan (Early Learning Policy Group, Nov. 2024), with providers and industry professionals across the state. [Metric Forthcoming]
2. Collect feedback and recommendations from those who have read the report to share with key partners and other advocacy organizations. [Metric Forthcoming]
Increase accessibility for employees by sharing childcare resources and best practices with 1,000 employers in Utah by 2030. [Metric Forthcoming]
Support key partners in passing meaningful legislation about childcare and early childhood development that positively impacts families. [Metric Forthcoming]
Work with partners, professionals and advocates to shift Utahns’ agreement (understanding and perceptions) in the following areas: [Metric Dashboard]
1. Access to childcare is an issue that families face in Utah. [Increase agreement by 10% by 2026 and 20% by 2030]
2. Childcare providers are professionals. [Increase agreement by 10% by 2026 and 20% by 2030]
3. Childcare and Pre-K programs play an important role in early childhood education. [Increase agreement by 10% by 2026 and 20% by 2030]
4. Government has a role in addressing childcare in Utah. [Increase agreement by 10% by 2026 and 20% by 2030]

Thriving Statement: Women and families thrive when they have access to affordable, quality childcare and other early childhood development opportunities.

Resources

Spoke Resources:

Research & Resources:

Partners

What You Can Do

Share resources about childcare solutions with Utah employers and employees. See Childcare Solutions for Employers [Spanish] and Working Parent Childcare Resources [Spanish].

Learn and share information about the importance of early childhood learning and development. See resources from the Office of Early Childhood Utah, Voices for Utah Children, and Envision Utah.

Talk to your legislators about supporting research-based public policy related to expanding childcare and early childhood education programs. See the Resources section on this page.

Get Engaged: Learn more about childcare issues and share resources with community members and follow our social media accounts (links in the resource section of this page).You can also sign up to receive email updates about what is happening across the state in childcare and become involved with a key partner organization to engage in specific initiatives and efforts. Thank you for your interest!

Lynne Burton

Spoke Coordinator
LinkedIn Profile
abolderwayforward .childcare@gmail.com