Specifications include, but are not limited to: The Governor’s Office of Economic Opportunity (GOEO) and the Women in the Economy Subcommittee are seeking research regarding childcare in Utah. This research will include an overview of childcare as it stands currently in Utah, expectations of the industry moving forward, and innovative recommendations for policies that will address the needs of working parents. The Women in the Economy Subcommittee aims to assist individual women, protect families, promote education, and value women in the workplace. Childcare unaffordability and unavailability threaten these basic guiding principles and require action. To that purpose, the Women in the Economy Subcommittee recommended that the legislature fund a Childcare Solutions and Workplace Productivity Plan. In the 2023 Utah Legislative Session, Utah Legislature appropriated $150,000 in one-time funding to create this plan. The Women in the Economy Subcommittee, which acts as a subcommittee of the Unified Economic Opportunity Commission, is well positioned to implement the plan and bring together employers, childcare providers, education, subject matter experts, policy makers, government entities, and families. The goals of this project are to: ● Understand how the state of childcare will impact a child’s quality of life, families, businesses, and the state of Utah ● Bring stakeholders together in candid conversations around childcare ● Find innovative public and private ideas around childcare, including best practices in other states, businesses, and cities ● Inform policymakers and business leaders as they make decisions related to childcare
