INFO:

DAYCARE DESERTS-Child care access is a challenge for parents across the country. In 2018, about half of all Americans lived in a so-called child care desert, according to the Center for American Progress. The nonprofit policy institute, which has researched the issue extensively, defines those as areas “where there are too few licensed slots for the number of children who need care.” But residents in Utah – the country’s youngest state – are among the most impacted. The Center for American Progress found in 2019 that 77% of Utahns live in a child care desert – the highest percentage of any state in the country. “We are having a child care crisis,” state Sen. Luz Escamilla (D-Salt Lake City) told FOX 13 News in a recent interview. “What does that mean? It means that our families are struggling. We have an issue of cost. We have an issue of access.” In four Utah counties — Daggett, Piute, Rich and Wayne — there’s no licensed child care at all. The percentage of working families with young children in those areas ranges from around 41% in Rich County to about 64% in Wayne County. For the full story by FOX 13 Investigative Reporter Taylor Stevens, click the link in the bio.