Utah Fits All begins at age 5, so a 3- or 4-year-old in a Salt Lake parish preschool or Montessori room is outside it. The main public help at that age is the child care subsidy run by the Department of Workforce Services Office of Child Care, which adopted a new income-eligibility and co-payment table on Oct 1, 2026.
Under that table, a household of four enters at Income Group 6, which is $5,100 a month in countable income. At that level the family co-pay is $187 a month for one child, $199 for two and $210 for three or more. A family already receiving help can stay eligible up to Group 10, or $6,630 a month for four people, and special-needs child care runs to Group 16, or $8,670 a month.
Many private schools in our directory of 82 enroll preschoolers, and several listings are early-learning centers. Ask whether the preschool program is a licensed or approved provider for the subsidy, because the school's K-12 approval for Utah Fits All does not settle that question.
For a child with a disability, the Carson Smith Opportunity Scholarship reaches down to age 3 at an eligible private school, paying one times the weighted pupil unit for preschool, so compare it with the subsidy.
12 preschool and kindergarten programs
Combining it with other sources
This source can sit alongside a school's own aid, parish or member rates and payment plans. The one hard rule in Utah is that a child holds only one of Utah Fits All, the original Carson Smith Scholarship or the Carson Smith Opportunity Scholarship at a time, so each child takes one path and a sibling may take the other.
Common questions
Can Utah Fits All pay for preschool in Salt Lake City?
Utah Fits All cannot pay for preschool, because a student must be at least 5 on Sept 1 and in kindergarten through grade 12. A Salt Lake City family with a 3- or 4-year-old should look at the Department of Workforce Services child care subsidy, or at the Carson Smith Opportunity Scholarship if the child has a disability.
What are the Utah child care subsidy income limits starting October 2026?
Utah's child care subsidy table that took effect Oct 1, 2026 sets the entry limit at Income Group 6, which is $5,100 a month in countable income for a household of four. Co-pays at that level are $187, $199 or $210 a month for one, two, or three or more children. Families can stay eligible up to $6,630 a month at review.
Does the Utah child care subsidy cover special-needs preschool?
Utah's child care subsidy allows special-needs child care up to Income Group 16, which is $8,670 a month for a household of four under the Oct 1, 2026 table. That is a higher ceiling than standard care. Salt Lake families should confirm the provider is approved by the Department of Workforce Services Office of Child Care before enrolling.