SALT LAKE CITY — From accessibility to affordability, childcare issues continue to strain moms and dads across the United States, which includes Utah.
The Economic Policy Institute reports the average cost of infant care in Utah is $829 per month or $9,945 annually.
In some cases, parents have changed their work schedules or even quit to make ends meet.
TOOTRiS works to alleviate some of these stressors by offering working parents a more streamlined approach when searching for childcare options in their area.
FOX 13 News first told you about the service in 2022.
More recently, the California-based company, founded in 2019, began partnering with employers nationwide to offer employees childcare benefits.
"Companies have a real opportunity to make a difference in this country with a broken childcare system. They have the financial means to be able to contribute, and they have the incentive, explains Jeff McAdam, Communications Director for TOOTRiS.
International plastic bottle manufacturer Alpla has a facility in Salt Lake City that has taken the leap to utilize the app.
It’s the first manufacturing company in the state to use TOOTRiS in an effort to help employees pay for childcare.
Since Alpla cranks out product all day, everyday, employees must work 12-hour shifts. Human Resources Manager Jon Bayton helped make TOOTRiS available to his team. They’re in the process of rolling out the benefits.
Bayton says, “Alpla is going to donate $1,000 to start off the year. It’s not a huge amount, but they’re wanting to see the interest, and the value … and the impact.”
If enough employees are interested, Bayton says they’ll offer more money. Those who participate will gain access to TOOTRiS’ large directory of childcare providers, too.
Additionally, childcare providers receive a free platform to promote their service.
This is especially helpful for Petit Explorer in Salt Lake City. Tanya Gallego has operated the small daycare from her home since 2016. She relies on word-of-mouth to market her business.
“We don’t often have a big budget for this kind of thing,” Gallego explains. “They were really great with helping someone who knows a lot about teaching and taking care of children, but does not know a lot about online and marketing.”
While she has more eyes on her business now, Gallego still can’t meet demand and has had to turn some families away.
Eventually, Gallego would like to open a bigger daycare to accommodate more little ones and be able to help fill the void in the ongoing childcare shortage.
