Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Childcare topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Summit County staff ask council for $80,000 increase to childcare scholarship fund
Summary
County staff asked the council to add $80,000 to the childcare scholarship program in 2025 (from $280,000 to $360,000) to extend coverage for currently enrolled families; program currently serves 33 county families with a waitlist of roughly 100 eligible households.
County staff presented an update on the community childcare scholarship program and requested an $80,000 increase to the 2025 budget to extend support for currently enrolled families.
Jana (presenting the childcare update) said the county launched its scholarship program in June 2024 and that Upwards administers the program; the Early Childhood Alliance is covering administrative fees so county funds go directly to families. "We are currently serving 33 families in the county program," she said, adding that there remains a waitlist of about 100 eligible households even after the county paused marketing because 2025 funding was uncertain.
Staff detailed the ask: increasing the childcare allocation from $280,000 in 2024 to $360,000 in 2025 — a $80,000 increase. Under the proposed split, $300,000 would fund community scholarships (allowing roughly ten months of coverage for currently enrolled families) and $60,000 would support an employee FSA match program for county staff. Staff emphasized the increase would not, by itself, add new families from the waitlist unless current enrollees left the program.
Council members and staff discussed program design and recruitment of employees to the county. One council member said the benefit can be a recruiting differentiator for county employment; staff said take‑up among employees was lower than expected and that some employee care arrangements were ineligible because they were unregulated home providers. Staff also highlighted complementary efforts by Park City, local resorts and nonprofits to expand child‑care access.
Several council members expressed support for the increase during the discussion and thanked staff and partner organizations. The budget request was described as modest relative to the county's $90.8 million proposed operating budget.
Next steps: staff will include the $80,000 increase in the proposed 2025 budget materials; the council will consider the request again as part of final budget deliberations.
