In Voices for Utah Children’s most recent report, Mapping Care for Kids: A County-Level Look at Utah’s Crisis in Licensed Child Care, they examine the availability of licensed child care across the state, and in each individual county. 

According to the report, there is insufficient licensed child care to meet the needs of working families in Utah, care is too expensive for families, and COVID-era funding helped the sector not only survive - but thrive.

• Licensed child care program capacity is only sufficient to serve about 36% of all children under six whose parents are working. 

• The average family of four in Utah utilizing child care for two children under the age of six (one infant/toddler, one preschool-aged child) is $16,871, or about 17% of state median income.

• With substantial public investment, Utah’s licensed child care capacity has grown by 31% since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Below are fact sheets for each county in Utah that includes data on child care needs, child care capacity, and costs. We hope you find these helpful as you advocate for change in child care and know you are not uniquely alone in accessing and affording child care or running a child care program.