SALT LAKE CITY—The child care industry is in crisis. Despite high tuition costs, early educators barely make a living wage. On the flip side, families can’t afford to pay for care outside the home – facing costs higher than college tuition. Child care advocates gathered at the Capitol last week to bring awareness to the problem.

“When you invest in the family you invest in the whole economy,” said Linda Stone of Moms Rising, a national nonprofit that deals with child care issues. “It’s a state issue that affects all of us. If I didn’t have someone to help me I wouldn’t be able to work.”

During the pandemic many lost their child care jobs, she said. “There has been a high turnover. Sixty-thousand centers closed and 150,000 workers left the profession.There’s no incentive other than a true love of children and learning.”

The legislature needs to help rebuild and invest in child care, said Stone. “They’re investing in the Great Salt Lake and vouchers but we want them to get child care on their brain. We can’t ignore the problem.”

“Most child care workers make less than dog walkers,” said Jenna Williams with Voices for Utah Children. “People think child care facilities are flush with cash. That’s not true, they’re barely making ends meet.”

It’s a dire situation, she said. “Only 35 percent of the state’s child care needs are being met. We want the legislature to pay attention to this issue and care about providers. They were already hurting and now it’s even worse.”

Holly Kingston has provided child care out of her home in West Jordan for 12 years. “I struggled for a while,” she said. “I couldn’t charge enough to make it a quality program. It’s difficult to provide that on one income. You almost need your husband to have a large income to subsidize it. Parents need a high quality program for their children while they’re doing their best at work.”

Kingston’s day starts early and ends late. “I have clients who are teachers and work at the school where my children go,” she said. “After breakfast we haul all the teachers’ children to school then go back. The younger kids have snacks, lessons and one on one time. Half of the kids have nap time. There is free play and then we go back to the school and hand them back to the teacher. Some get off between 5 and 5:30 and other parents don’t get done until almost 6. It’s a long day.”

The child care profession should be acknowledged as an industry not just a side thing, said Kingston. “It should be viewed more as early education than child care. Quality child care decreases mom guilt. If she knows her child is getting the same experience as they would at home she can focus more when she’s at work. When she hears about her child’s day and what they’ve learned she gets that settling feeling that ‘I’m OK stepping away to work.’”

“Every child in Utah should have an equal chance to succeed and be happy in their lives, from the moment they are born,” said Moe Hickey, Executive Director, Voices of Utah Children. “Children who are in child care settings deserve great opportunities to grow and develop while their parents are working. When they don’t get those opportunities, our entire state suffers, both now and in the future. Our broken childcare system is a problem for every Utahn.”