Important Facts for Child Care Numbers of Facilities

Definition

Child care numbers of facilities.

Numerator

The number of licensed and license exempt child care facilities in the state, as reported by the Utah Department of Health, Child Care Licensing Program.

Denominator

N/A

Why Is This Important?

From the [https://jobs.utah.gov/edo/intergenerational/igp18.pdf Utah's Seventh Annual Report on Intergenerational Poverty, Welfare Dependency and the Use of Public Assistance 2018]: "Of similar importance to preschool enrollment, access to high-quality child care is essential to the safety and healthy development of children, particularly for the school readiness of low-income children. Increasingly, research in early childhood development is influencing policy and emphasizing that high-quality child care is part of the early learning system, expanding its role beyond providing a healthy and safe environment for young children, sometimes in care for as much as ten hours per day. Moreover, child care is a critical work support for parents, allowing them to maintain employment while their children are cared for in safe and nurturing environments. In fact, 51 percent of Utah children under six years old live in families where there is a child care need."^1^[[br]] [[br]] ---- 1. U.S. Census Bureau. American Fact Finder. GCT2302--Percent of children under six years old with all parents in the labor force, American Community Survey (ACS) 1-year estimates.

How Are We Doing?

Utah has 386 licensed child care centers, and 883 in-home licensed child care providers. The total number of child slots in centers is 37,422. The total number of child slots in in-home care is 11,166. (Oct. 2021 data)