When Brittany Nguyen lost her job earlier this year, her state subsidy for child care quickly disappeared. If she hadn't found a new position fast, the single mom from Midvale knows the job hunt likely would have meant bringing her toddler in tow.
Now state officials hope to give unemployed parents a break. The proposed plan, which is still awaiting final approval, is for the state to pay for a limited number of child care hours to allow low-income parents to interview or research job opportunities.
"And while parents are looking for work, there's a safe place for their kids," said Lynette Rasmussen, director of the office of work and family life.
Under the current policy, the state provides child care aid only for low-income parents who work -- which moms like Nguyen know can be a problem when they're unemployed.
"It's just not very professional to take your kids around," the 26-year-old said. "He's not going to sit there while I fill out applications."
Paid for with an infusion of federal stimulus dollars, the new program is intended to help low-income Utah families get back in the job market more quickly. Families receiving welfare benefits are already eligible for some child care help, depending on their employment plan, while parents search for jobs.
Officials aren't sure how many families the new program may benefit, but they're allocating about $500,000 annually for the effort, which probably would start July 1 and end in September 2011.
The state will pay the child care providers directly and parents will have to submit a job search log.
The number of Utah households receiving subsidies for child care dipped 12 percent from March 2008 to March 2009, a drop officials assume is linked to more people losing their jobs and thus losing their child care. Until now, funding hadn't been available for job-hunting care, though officials realized the need existed.
Karen Silver, an advocate for low-income people as part of the Salt Lake Community Action Program, has argued in support of this kind of child care assistance for years.
For unemployed parents, searching online or visiting job sites is far more complicated with their children underfoot or tagging along, she said. Computers at public libraries or state employment centers often have limited minutes the harried parents can use.