Kearns Community Center

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I’m a freelance writer and the mother of one small child. My husband provides much of the childcare, but he has a job as well, and often I find myself torn between the demands of work and the need to take my son out so he can play with other children.

During the summers, I’ve tried to work everywhere: the park, the library, the yard. None of these situations are ideal for me, my child, or the people around us.

A co-working space with daycare, like the one included in the Kearns Community Center proposal, would be a lifeline for parents like me. So often, all I need to concentrate on work is a quiet space and the knowledge that my son is in good hands. Right now, I often plan my meetings and work time around my husband’s work schedule. The co-working space will give me much-needed flexibility when it comes to work in the summer. Childcare is a huge need for us right now, but later, when my son is older, he’ll be able to attend activities, play at the indoor park, or meet up with his friends in the teen space while I’m working.

I cannot think of a single more amazing resource for a work-from-home parent, and, if current trends continue, there are going to be many more workers like me in town in the coming years. According to the most recent reports from the U.S. Census Bureau, eight million people worked from home in 2017 and that number is ticking upward.

Child-free remote workers will need that co-working space too. Kearns Community Center will be a gift for anyone who has ever tried to have a work meeting in a Starbucks, any freelancer who has ever felt isolated at home, and every work-at-home parent who has had to choose between taking a meeting and taking their child to the park.