How to Afford Childcare in 2024

Childcare is a “labor of love,” according to Utah State Senator Luz Escamilla. It’s also a critical issue affecting many Utah families, she adds.

“Most people just think about childcare as a women’s issue, but it’s actually a family issue,” Escamilla says while explaining the work she and a bipartisan group of lawmakers are doing to improve the current situation of both the access to and affordability of quality child care in Utah.

Utah isn’t alone, it’s a challenge most of the country is facing as well. Care.com’s 2024 Cost of Care Report illustrates just how much the average cost of childcare can impact a family’s budget. Survey results showed that U.S. families are spending 24% of their household income on childcare. This is a significant counter to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ statement that child care is affordable when it costs families no more than 7% of their household income.

This creates a great deal of stress for families searching for the best childcare options. Thinking outside of the box and searching for relief is a must while Sen. Escamilla and other leaders work to find solutions.

Average Cost of Childcare

Paying for childcare comes in a few different shapes and sizes. Care.com breaks down spending into a few possible categories for families: nanny care, daycare, family care center and babysitter.

On a weekly basis, the cost of childcare can be tremendous. On a national average, Nanny costs reach $766 weekly, $321 for daycare, $230 at a family care center and $192 for a babysitter—or $292 for an after-school sitter.

Bear in mind, that’s just for one child.

Utah is less expensive than the national average when it comes to childcare costs. By the hour, Utah parents pay an average starting rate of $17.33 for child care, more affordable than the national average of $18.97.

Of course, where you live in Utah matters as well. Residents in Morgan pay much less ($15.86 per hour) than Park City families ($22.84 per hour).

For many Utahns, Sen. Escamilla notes, access is as much of a concern as affordability.

“We are No. 5 in the nation as far as ‘childcare deserts’ meaning you don’t have any access to childcare within a 5 to 10-mile radius of where you live,” she says. “In some rural areas, there’s literally only one childcare center for hundreds of miles.”

Childcare Options

As the saying goes; it takes a village to raise a child. It may take a bit of help to deflate the cost of childcare. Sen. Escamilla recalls her mother being her “savior” when she was a young mother.

“For a couple of years, she was picking up my kids from school when my husband and I were working,” she recalls. “I don’t know what I would have done without her. It would have completely changed our dynamic.”

Leaning on loved ones is a preferred solution to the childcare conundrum, but of course, may not be a realistic option for many families. Nanny sharing, which as the name suggests is the sharing of a nanny by multiple families, is becoming more and more popular as well.

Many families are also making adjustments with flexible work schedules. In this case, perhaps one parent works during the day and the other during the night so the children are never completely without both parents. In-home daycare and after-school programs, such as neighborhood YMCAs, are also good options.

Financial Assistance

Making the dollars and cents make sense can be one of the biggest childcare obstacles. Escamilla laments that many Utahns are forced into some very difficult decisions to keep their families afloat. To them, she recommends getting on a waitlist for service-providing entities as soon as possible.

Actively working on better and more creative solutions, Escamilla is proud of the tax credits available to Utah families. However, with the timeline of the childcare funding made available during the pandemic drawing to an end, those funds have dropped off a “cliff.”

This will light a fire under lawmakers to come up with answers quickly, Escamilla hopes.

She envisions a future where childcare is prioritized across the state and made possible through private-public partnerships. As one of many proposed solutions, this partnership would repurpose buildings the state already owns but is not using to create an infrastructure of facilities that can lower the cost of childcare. Stay tuned for more, Escamilla says. While this bill did not pass in the last legislative session, Escamilla will be bringing it back for the upcoming session.

Some government aid is available now and those resources are listed here.

Finding Affordable Childcare Near You

If getting childcare support from family and friends isn’t an option, you don’t have to go it alone. There are many resources in place to help. Here are a few:

• ChildCare Aware of America has all the resources you need for peace of mind including information on the child care regulatory office, inspection reports, criminal background checks and more.
• The Department of Workforce Services provides the application for childcare subsidies and other benefits.
• Children’s Service Society of Utah offers a program for free online childcare referrals via its Care About Childcare system.
• Salt Lake County’s Parks & Recreation arm offers a robust Childcare program at eight different recreation centers around the county. If you live outside of Salt Lake County, checking with your local parks & recreation department for childcare programs may be beneficial.
• Neighborhood House has long been a resource for Salt Lake Valley families in need of childcare. Its programs are priced based on each client’s ability to pay.