UTAH
hildcare Solutions and C Workplace Productivity A 5-POINT PLAN
Strategies for Consideration
• Fix data supply gaps
Child Care Supply
• Employer child care tax credits • Matching partnership grants to employers for child care help for employees • Local Childcare Solution Funds matched by the state (Iowa model)
Public-Private Employer Partnerships
• Rehab obsolete government buildings • Address local barriers • Expand high-quality preschool
Child Care Workforce
•E arly childhood workforce refundable tax credit based on certifications & education •R ecruitment & retention subsidy payments for workforce with young children •C hild care substitute pool pilot
•C o-locate child care centers in multi-family, low income housing tax credit (LIHTC) projects • Conduct parent information campaign about child care subsidy availability
FAMILIES
Child Care Child Affordability Behavior
Child Care Child Affordability Behavior
• Increase subsidy eligibility
WHO NEEDS CHILD CARE? Percent of Mothers in Utah who Work
with children under six
63.1%
•P ilot models from other states •W age parent campaigns to reduce phone and tablet use that affects development of young children
FUNDING FOR CHILD CARE
Utah Families Among 2-parent households working full-time
66% 74%
68.8%
•E xpand evidence-based models to strengthen effective teacher interactions to support children
said they needed two incomes to cover household expenses
with children under six said they needed two incomes to cover household expenses
The federal supplemental child care funding has expired Other options include:
24%
said both parents desired a full-time career
• Unobligated TANF funds could be invested in child care strategies. • Utilize unobligated U.S. Treasury Federal State and Local Fiscal Recovery Funding (SLFRF), which must be obligated (by contract or MOU) by December 31, 2024. States then have 2 additional years to spend the money.
with children under six and school-age children
• Review current programs to prioritize higher category needs.
75.6%
• Supplement child care funding with state funds.
with school-age children In 2023, the Utah Legislature approved a recommendation by the Women in the Economy Subcommittee to fund a Childcare Solutions and Workplace Productivity Plan. The goal was to use the most current data and key stakeholder feedback to better understand and address the needs of working parents. The Childcare Solutions and Workplace Productivity Plan includes 33 recommendations for consideration. They are based on data and expenditure analysis, reports from 12 focus groups (conducted between July and October 2024), 85 conversations among key stakeholders (conducted between June and September 2024), and guidance from the Women in the Economy Subcommittee. DECEMBER 2024