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PC Tots Executive Director Andrea Barnes is stepping down in January after a year and a half due to family reasons.
She says her replacement will be the point person to families in Park City.
“We currently raise about half of our budget through donations and government grants, so it’s very important that this person has a great sense of how to work with the community to make sure those resources are in play.”
Formed in 2015, PC Tots is a non-profit child care and early education service with approximately 100 students at two locations in Park City. About 50% of its budget comes from grants and private donations, according to Barnes.
Barnes says PC Tots recently increased its budget to more than $2 million a year, 85% of which goes to staff. They also raised wages and began offering benefits, which helped maintain a full staff.
But with its waiting list over 140, Barnes says the community need is greater than what PC Tots can offer.
“There are about 400 children born in the Wasatch Back every year,” she says. “We know that about 75% of households have parents who work outside the home, but of that amount, only a third of them can find approved care. So, the Wasatch back is considered a desert in terms of care and education of early childhood. We’re one of the third worst in the entire state.”
The program limits numbers by age group to maintain student-teacher ratios of 4 to 1 for infants to 10 to 1 for older children.
A parent can add a child to the waiting list as soon as they are waiting.
Barnes says half of the families enrolled pay full costs, which range from $925 to $1,275 monthly. Others receive scholarships to offset expenses.
She says PC Tots may not have much room for growth, but it’s working with other organizations to meet Park City’s child care needs in the long term.
“We’re trying to figure out what is our role? What is the role of the community?” she says. “For us to be able to expand where it’s so heavily weighted on fundraising for one small non-profit, it’s impractical, it’s not something we’re capable of doing. So, even if we took in another 100 kids, we would have to raise another $1.2 million. I mean, that’s almost impossible for a small nonprofit to achieve.”
She credited community partners like the Early Childhood Alliance for exploring ways to provide more child care locally.
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