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E-Newsletter • February 2025 |
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Editor's E-Note
To survive and thrive, children have various needs that must be met, such as food and housing. Therefore, when a state is being declared a “desert” in terms of child care, there are numerous issues to be addressed. This newsletter’s exclusive dives into Utah’s “child care desert” and the various ways in which lawmakers intend to allay the issues plaguing the state’s ability to properly attend to its child population.
I’m excited to receive your comments at SWTeditor@gvpub.com. While you’re at it, visit our website at www.SocialWorkToday.com, like our Facebook page, and follow us on X, formerly known as Twitter.
Enjoy the newsletter!
— Josh Hildebrand, editor |
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| In This E-Newsletter
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Utah’s Been Called a Child Care ‘Desert.’ State Lawmakers Look at Ways to Increase Access
2025 is shaping up to be a banner year for child care in the Utah Legislature. Here are some of the bills working their way through the statehouse.
Updating Child Care Programs
Representative Tracy Miller, R-South Jordan, introduced HB410, “Child Care Amendments.” This bill would expand and standardize child care facilities throughout the state of Utah by tweaking existing laws.
If enacted, Miller’s bill will put the following regulations into effect on May 7, 2025:
- Permission for child care centers with 16 to 99 children to operate warming kitchens, or kitchens meant just to warm up food, taking away the requirement for them to have full kitchens.
- Expansion of the definition of “teaching experience” to include preschool teaching in child care programs.
- Permission for housing and transit reinvestment zones to set aside up to 1% of their funds to expand their local child care facilities.
HB410 has not yet advanced to committee for review.
Miller’s bill comes along with a variety of other bills modifying Utah child care facilities. Such changes come as Utah has been labeled a child care “desert”— meaning that statistically, most Utahns don’t have access to day cares that will serve their needs, as the Deseret News previously reported.
Issues finding child care create a revenue loss of around $1.36 billion per year for Utah’s economy, according to an estimate by the U.S. Chamber of Commerce.
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Social Services Under Threat
Republican proposals to cut various food assistance and health care programs threaten low-income families. Flexible funding for social services is also on the chopping block, reports the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities.
Staying Sharp
Researchers from the University of Hawai’i at Manoa conducted a study on how various activities, such as socializing, games, and computer time, affect the brains of elder adults. Their research is published in the Journal of Alzheimer’s Disease Reports.
Social Work ‘Teams’ Address Complex Needs
England’s National Health Service aims to bring teams of social workers into neighborhoods to address those with complex health and social care needs as part of its efforts to create a “neighborhood health service.”
Social Workers Need Support
In order to adequately address the needs of youth, social workers need the assistance of something akin to a “regulatory body.” A British Columbia report found that youth and child services have suffered as a result of overworked social workers. |
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Private Duty National Conference & Expo
DecisionHealth, an HCPro brand, announces the return of the Private Duty National Conference & Expo, taking place May 15, 2025, at the Paris Hotel in Las Vegas. This event is tailored for home care executives looking to sharpen their leadership and financial management skills, enhance client and caregiver experience, drive sustainable growth, and capture market share.
Key features of the Private Duty National Conference & Expo include the following:
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- Networking Opportunities: Build connections with peers and explore innovative solutions in the Exhibit Hall.
Learn more » |
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