(1/5/99)

It's easier to get information when you're shopping for a new car than it is when you're shopping for a day care center. But Utah has implemented a plan to help parents and children. Central Utah Correspondent Robert Walz shows us how it works.

It's lunch time at Jill Ashtawy's house. In addition to her two kids, Jill tends four to five other children.

It's not a big money business, but she likes it. "I get to stay home with my kids and have fun with other peoples' kids, and it's something new I enjoy," she says.

Jill is one of thousands of small business women in the state of Utah who provide child care in their homes. But finding a situation like this is not easy, because the need is far greater than the amount of service. "I have to turn away a lot of people, especially for infants," Jill says.

In an effort to help parents, the state has networked all licenced day care providers into one data base that matches needs with availability. Alda Jones of the Child Care Resource Referral Agency explains, "This is one way for parents with one phone call to streamline their search, but also get information about how to make that decision."

Workers at the referral office interview providers who have been licenced by the state, and enter the information about their service into the computer data base.

When parents call they can get a list of several day care providers in their neighborhood or near their job that may have openings.

Jones says, "We can't guarantee that when they go out there looking for this quality that they will find it. Although we do provide a lot of support service to the providers with that goal in mind."

State officials hope to soon have the day care data available over the internet.

Until then, parents can reach their local child care resource and referral office by calling this toll free number at the Utah State Office of Child Care:
1-800-622-7390