Piper Riddle says the current offerings for child care just aren’t enough for an area growing as fast as Wasatch County. The former school principal and current executive director of the new nonprofit School House Academy told KPCW she has experienced this need firsthand as both a working mother and as an employer.
"Trying to hire and retain staff so that they can afford child care and afford the cost of living in Wasatch County is also an ongoing challenge," she said.
To help meet the needs of parents and employers, the nonprofit has acquired property across the street from Rocky Mountain Middle and Heber Valley Elementary schools. Riddle said plans for the site include not just a child care center, but an expansion of the Boys and Girls Club, a food pantry, and healthcare and mental health services.
"We do have parents who are working really hard to try to provide for their families," she said. "And so the more services we can allow families to access during the work day, after school — so they're not missing instruction — the better for our kids."
Riddle said the plans are "ambitious," and won’t all be realized at once. She said the academy will offer child care only when it opens in 2024, and will do so in modular facilities on site. Services will then be expanded when a permanent building is in place.
Aaron Johnson, the academy’s Board Chair, said such services need to be made available to the community as soon as possible. He said the academy will provide child care for "about 75 to 80 children in our community, which is nowhere near enough for what the community needs, but it's a good start."
Johnson said child care services would cost parents from $900 to $1,200 per month, depending on the child’s age.
"We are very aggressively pursuing scholarship programs where private donors can earmark their donation for scholarships, to allow families who might not be able to access that kind of childcare, to be a part of our facility," he said.
Johnson said the academy will be a multimillion-dollar project, and will seek funding from multiple sources. In addition to private donors, he said the academy is seeking grants available through the state, and is also working on forging partnerships with employers in the county.
Riddle noted one particular opportunity is available to an especially generous donor.
"I am hoping that there is going to be an entity who has a significant contribution and would like their name on our building," she said.
