Tracy Gruber, the director of the Utah Office of Child Care at Utah Department of Workforce Services, announced an operations grant available to licensed and open childcare facilities today. The funding is meant to keep the operations going in the face of significant loss in enrollment.
Gruber said Utah’s childcare programs have taken a significant hit — just like the rest of the country. In fact, Gruber said 38% of licensed childcare centers in the state have temporarily closed, as have 18% of family programs. Overall, Gruber said the state has lost 38,000 childcare slots.
In efforts to limit the spread of COVID-19, Gruber said some safety precautions being taken by childcare facilities include taking temperatures before accepting children and limiting the number of children at a time.
Kevin Burt, the Unemployment Division director for the Utah Department of Workforce Services, announced the Pandemic Unemployment Assistance is available for application today. This effort, part of the federal CARES act, covers employees not traditionally covered by unemployment insurance, such as gig workers and self-employed Utahns.
