WHAT does a parent do when the only way to care for their child while they are at work is closed? How does one keep their child safe without large expense? These are the questions that many families are forced to ask themselves as four daycares across the county in Millcreek, Fairpark, Kearns, and Magna begin closure, with no plans of reopening.
IT all began when the Salt Lake County Council was working on budgets for the upcoming year. The decision to close the daycares was proposed as a solution to “save money.” Aimee Winder Newton expressed the concerns of the group stating, “To take their tax money to subsidize 271 kids doesn’t seem equitable.” But many community members don’t agree. Kearns resident Allison Crosby, who currently has a ten-year old child enrolled in the Kearns Recreational Center’s daycare stated, “I think that putting some money toward childcare to allow parents to work is an appropriate use of taxes.”
THE meeting held by the council to speak about their budget cuts involved several outraged families and parents. Heartfelt speeches from students and parents proclaimed the necessity of these programs for the community. Other words were not so civilized. After the statement from Winder Newton, one man in attendance stood up and voiced his frustration, calling out what he believed to be inaccurate statements from the council with strong language. He was then escorted out of the building by the sheriff’s deputies and county staffers.
A majority of the opinions on this decision are negative and even criticize the council. A man whose child attends the Magna Recreational Center’s daycare expressed strong, frustrated language and said, “It is going to be really difficult for me and my wife, and I have no clue what to do with my kid. I’m very angry.” And he’s not the only one. Many families are left stunted about what to do next and where to put their children when they aren’t home and school is not in session. Especially low income families who cannot afford private child care.
EACH of the county daycares cost $290 a month for children ages 5 and up, and about $460 a month for ages 2-4. Comparatively, many private daycares, in Utah specifically, cost an average of $500+ a month. This makes it very difficult for parents who cannot afford this care and must scramble to find a solution before the daycares close. In a recent update in the issue, however, the close date has been pushed to May 31st rather than December 31st to give people more time to find alternate solutions.
BUT what about summer? Kids don’t have any school, therefore no time with a guardian if the parents must work, which most who enroll their kids in these programs do. “It is a lot easier to figure out what to do without daycare when school is in session because at least my daughter’s with her teacher until around 4pm, which is relatively close to when my work is over so I can adjust work hours easily,” one father claimed. “But she will have no one during the summer and I will not leave her home alone.”
EMOTIONS from parents and even their children run high as they have to say goodbye to the places that took care of them. Crosby expressed, “I am a little shocked and saddened. […] We have been sending our children to this daycare for almost 15 years, and we have had a great experience.” Families affected by the closures share these sentiments and feel pity for those who are losing their jobs.
ACCORDING to saltlakecounty.gov, 17 full time employees will lose their jobs to this closure along with 76 temporary workers. The county stated that the full time employees will be worked with to relocate them to other fields within the county. This, however, does not account for their emotions. Many of these workers have built strong bonds with not only their coworkers, but with the children as well, and must say goodbye.
THIS new development in Salt Lake County has brought on strong emotions from all sides of the decision and has created issues for those who rely on these daycare facilities. Closing them puts over 200 families in a difficult situation where they must scramble to put together a solution for their child’s care. At a time when the cost of living is significant, closing affordable daycares has tightened the budgets of low income families, and provoked their outrage.
