Utah increases quality infant and toddler child care

Using funds from the quality set-aside within the federal child care subsidy (CCDBG) program, Utah’s Office of Child Care (OCC) within the Department of Workforce Services is offering an Infant/Toddler Start-Up and Expansion Grant for Center-based Infant/Toddler Child Care Services. Centers may apply for grants up to $9,999 to create new quality infant/toddler rooms and to support staff development. OCC developed this grant project after its annual child care needs assessment identified infant/toddler child care as a critical, unmet need throughout Utah. Grantees must meet criteria on staff training and classroom environment, be evaluated using the ITERS-R rating system, and participate in Utah's ongoing quality improvement program for infant/toddler classes (the Baby Steps project). With this grant, Utah is demonstrating the importance of establishing state policies to both increase the availability of infant/toddler care and ensure that it meets high quality criteria at the same time.