5 ms·
In particular I'm trying to demystify the supposed Utah childcare shortage: I suspect Utah has a very high rate of informal or unlicensed childcare, or exchang
by smcin 1y ago
In particular I'm trying to demystify the supposed Utah childcare shortage:
I suspect Utah has a very high rate of informal or unlicensed childcare, or exchanges between part-time working mothers, of which Utah has a lot [0]. So again there's much more behind the official stats than a mere headcount of licensed childcare providers.
From Gemini + other article: "In Utah, unlicensed child care providers can care for up to eight [previously six, prior to 2024 HB153] children in their home without needing to be licensed. This means they are not required to have mandatory training, background checks, or undergo safety oversight, which raises concerns about the quality and safety of care provided. Voices for Utah Children says it is the second-highest limit in the nation for unregulated childcare."
[0]: https://universe.byu.edu/2019/01/14/how-utahs-child-care-challenges-impact-working-parents-1/ https://universe.byu.edu/2019/01/14/how-utahs-child-care-cha...
- smcin 1y agoSince different US states regulate childcare very differently, it seems silly to compare "licensed childcare headcount" across states as if it was some invariant. And "unlicensed childcare" could merely mean "potentially very high quality childcare, just involving <8 children and the person doesn't have a license, or in a part-time/reciprocal arrangement". Whereas in other states it could be much worse. Maybe it's a less meaningless methodology to try to estimate demand vs availability by looking at childcare prices in a locality normalized by per-capita income?