PHOM Indicator Profile Report of Child Care Numbers of Facilities

Why Is This Important?

From the 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

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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.

Data Source

Child Care Licensing, Office of Licensing, Utah Department of Health and Human Services

Data Notes

Center Child Care: state licensed facilities caring for children 0-12 years of age on a regular schedule.  
Hourly Centers: state licensed facilities caring for children 0-12 years of age on an hourly basis
Out of School Time Programs: state licensed facilities caring for school age children (5 years and older) before or after school
Licensed Family: state licensed home facilities caring for up to 16 children 0-12 years of age on a regular schedule
Residential Certificate: state certified home facilities caring for up to 8 children 0-12 years of age on a regular schedule
Exempt Centers: centers exempt from regulation caring for children 0-12 years of age on a regular schedule
Exempt Drop-in Child Care: centers exempt from regulation caring for children 0-12 years of age not on a regular schedule; parent in close proximity
Exempt Homes: mostly a relative, friend, or neighbor caring for no more than 4 children, exempt from licensing rules, but following basic state regulations

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)