Daycare centers are seeing a decrease in enrollment across the Tooele Valley as parents look to cut expenses in a worsening economy.

Kerry Smith, director of The Kid’s Park of Stansbury, a child development center in Stansbury Park, said she has watched enrollment in both daycare and preschool decrease significantly since last year. Her center has kids from ages 6 weeks to 12 years for regular daycare, and a preschool for kids ages 3 through 5.

“Several parents, both mothers and fathers, have been losing their jobs, and they’re either taking their kids out of daycare or just not re-enrolling them,” Smith said. “We have been losing kids here, and if the mothers find new jobs, they send the kids to be with family or friends. For both daycare and preschool, we’re probably down 20 kids from what we were at this time last year.”

Michelle Bolin, manager of Building Blocks for Life in Tooele, said that although her center is still busy, enrollment has also decreased because of the economy. Like Kid’s Park, Building Blocks for Life also takes in children between 6 weeks and 12 years old.

“We have seen our numbers go down because of the economy, just because people who can’t afford to pay their bills or have to watch their money more also can’t afford to send their kids to daycare,” Bolin said.

Bolin said Building Blocks for Life currently has about 70 kids enrolled — 20 below capacity — though its eight slots for babies are full. The center is offering a discount to stimulate enrollment.

“We have a 5 percent discount on all second and third children of mothers who already have a child here,” Bolin said.

Smith said requirements to work at a daycare center in the state have also been tightened.

“All teachers have to have FBI background checks, TB tests, a food handler’s permit and they have to be first aid and CPR certified,” she said.

Bolin said Building Blocks’ teachers go through a background check and 20 hours of annual training. The center is also monitored with cameras.

“A state licenser will also come out at least twice a year with a checklist they go through of how everything needs to be,” she said. “They will also check the playground and make sure it’s safe. If you do home daycare, you have to have a license once you have four or more children.”

Even home daycare centers, however, are struggling with enrollment.

Tooele resident Clarissa Stagg started her own home daycare center last month to ease financial troubles, but said the response has been underwhelming — a single child.

“I definitely expected a lot more calls,” she said. “I know a ton of women who recently started their own daycare centers for extra money, but they also had a hard time getting people to call them, and a lot of women out there are now taking their kids to be watched by family and friends for free.”

Encarni Gallardo, program director for the Salt Lake City-based Child Care Resource and Referral — which helps parents find child care, gives training for child care providers, and gives help on becoming a child care provider in Salt Lake and Tooele counties — said she has also noticed more people struggling with the issue of daytime child care because of the economy.

“We have talked with some places where the number of children has gone down, and we’ve also seen an increase in families looking for child care from family or friends,” she said. “A lot of child care providers, some of whom started when they had young kids of their own, also want to leave for a more stable job that pays more money and has better benefits now. Child care centers may be decreasing with their number of kids, but the number of kids who need it is not decreasing. People are just looking for a less expensive solution now.”

Doug Radunich: dougrad@tooeletranscript.com