SALT LAKE CITY (KUTV) — Parents in Salt Lake County have learned they have until the end of May to find new childcare arrangements for their children, as the county-run daycare centers will be closing.
On Monday, the Salt Lake County Council voted 5-3 to extend the closure of four county-run childcare centers until the end of May.
The centers were originally set to close in December, but council members said they wanted to give families more time to prepare. Parents said the extension was only a temporary fix.
“The council just put a Band-Aid over the situation,” said Jefferson Curtis, a parent against the closure.
“It’s hard, it’s kind of gut-wrenching in a way where you know it’s coming – you just are trying to figure out the best way you can get around it,” said McKenzie Miller, a parent against the closure.
Curtis expressed frustration that he felt there was never an attempt to make the programs sustainable.
“I want to know why there was never any attempt to find a way to make these programs viable,” he said.
Council Chair Dea Theodore said while the council understands the impact on families, operating childcare centers is not viable for the county.
Eye On Your Money. (Graphic: KUTV)
“In the long run, this is still going to cost taxpayers a lot of money because these buildings have to be updated,” Theodore said. “We’re just not in that business as the county to run daycares. We’re not the best suited to run daycares — I think that should be sent to the private sector.”
Theodore said the council extended the closure to the end of the school year to give families more time to make arrangements.
“Initially, it was until the end of December, but we realized that people actually need more time to figure out their situation,” she said. “We figured the end of school would be a good time frame.”
Parents, however, said they were still struggling to find affordable childcare options.
“There’s still a lot of us struggling to find affordable care,” Curtis said.
During the meeting, the council mentioned the possibility of raising funds to help affected families, but no concrete plan or timeline was presented.
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