Park City outlines $1 million childcare scholarship, councils discuss countywide task force

Park City staff briefed Summit County and Park City councils on Oct. 10 about ongoing efforts to address local childcare capacity and affordability. Michelle Downard, identified as a Park City resident advocate, said Park City is recommending a $1,000,000 fiscal-year allocation to be distributed via an administrator selected through an RFP to provide scholarships that would be credited toward household tuition.

"A $1,000,000 allocation in fiscal year 24" was presented as the headline staff proposal, and Downard said the majority of those funds would be administered by an outside administrator selected through an RFP and distributed directly to childcare providers to decrease household costs.

Park City staff also reported that a long-running childcare facility that had closed in a library building had been offered to another provider on a highly subsidized lease and is expected to reopen in November. The staff recommended establishing a task force to explore further capacity-building and eligibility criteria for any scholarship program.

Council members broadly supported expanding the work beyond Park City and urged a regional task force including county staff, the school districts and the chamber of commerce. Several speakers warned that recent cuts in federal funding have squeezed providers and that the proposed one-time allocation would not by itself create sustainable capacity; they recommended a two-phase approach of stabilization and longer-term capacity building.

Park City staff said their next steps include returning to Park City Council for a work session on eligibility criteria and launching the RFP for an administrator. No final interjurisdictional agreements were approved at the Oct. 10 meeting.