But for some working parents, the UEA weekend will be no holiday.
The Salt Lake City School District - one of the few to offer child care on non-school days - disbanded its program this month, leaving parents in the lurch today, tomorrow and on six other professional development days throughout the year. The decision came after commercial day care owners complained to lawmakers that schools were eating into their profits, and that has parents fearing after-school programs also may be at risk.
District officials say they have no plans to close their after-school programs, which they argue are specifically geared toward academic enrichment.
"We are not in the child care business. That's why we're not doing programming on holidays. We don't want any idea that what we're doing is anything but academic," said community education specialist Heidi Clark.
The closures effect about 36 students, based on September attendance figures. But they add to an already documented shortage of safe and affordable child care in Utah.
A recent state Office of Child Care study showed a "critical" need for infant, toddler and after-school care in each of Utah's 29 counties.
"I don't see private providers stepping up to fill the gap. If they're so concerned about schools horning in on their profits, why aren't they providing parents a list of options for non-school days?" asked parent Nancy Lombardo, who was caught off guard by the school district's decision.
A full-time health sciences librarian at the University of Utah, Lombardo latched onto the after-school program at Dilworth Elementary as a cheap, convenient alternative to private after care.
"I have a job that requires 40 hours a week and find it a challenge running around and moving my son," said Lombardo. She likes how the teachers, many of them college students with advanced degrees in child development, emphasize school work.
Her son James appreciates the consistency, too. "The students don't feel like they're being put back in preschool, which they tend to resent as they get older," said Lombardo.
Private providers contend they haven't stepped up their own offerings because they can't compete with tax-subsidized schools, county programs and nonprofit groups like the Boys & Girls Clubs of America.
For years, they have lobbied the Legislature to cut schools out of the game.
Lombardo acknowledges money is a factor. The per-day cost of care at Dilworth is $25, compared to about $42 to $50 at most commercial centers.
But she says most facilities have waiting lists and aren't designed to take school-age children, especially on demand.
Lombardo was able to band together with other parents in her school district and convince the U.'s KinderCare center to take their children this week.
But she worries about low-income families who have fewer options and less on-the-job flexibility. "It's just hard when the Legislature starts siding with the private sector without considering the implications for working people and providing us with some reasonable alternative," she said.
kstewart@sltrib.com
Looking for child care?
Utah's Office of Child Care runs several referral hotlines. For referrals in the metro Salt Lake region, call 801-355-HUGS (4847).
The Utah Education Association today at 11:15 a.m. in the Salt Palace Convention Center's Red Room will hold a "No Excuses!" rally open to the public. During a portion of the rally, participants will be able to share their ideas on public education policy in small group discussions with UEA members, policymakers and election candidates endorsed by the state's largest teacher organization.
Read more about public education advocates on Page B2
'No Excuses!' rally
