Jenna Williams

While I agree that $5k is not enough, I’m at least glad to see pro-natalist advocates realize the solution is going to take money, and not just shaming or moralizing.

Thank you so much for your kind words! Keep fighting the good fight 💚

Thank you to everyone who has supported me and my work. Please stay in touch! I’ll stay on here for a bit but can also be found on LinkedIn or on IG at @jencolwil.
I’d love to stay connected and support any transitions before I go!

❤️ thank you Utah for teaching me so much.

I’m taking some time off to rest and travel. And then this fall, I’ll be moving to Boston to attend Northeastern School of Law (crazy time to study law, huh?). I’m hoping to gain new legal skills to continue my advocacy work.

All I can say is, if you ever get the chance to work or advocate alongside a child care provider, TAKE IT.

They have shown me what it actually means to be in service to others. Their sacrifices and way they show up for kids has redefined for me what leadership and community care really mean.

This has been my favorite job. I’ve learned so much from child care providers, parents, organizers, and advocates—your perseverance and passion has left a mark on me.

Dearest Bluesky friends, I have some personal news. This Friday is my last day at Voices for Utah Children.

I’m so grateful for the years of partnership, support, and shared work to make Utah better for kids.

For folks outside of this policy space, I’ve been growing more alarmed by this rhetoric and I just warn everyone to take it incredibly seriously.

I’m not opposed to a pronatalist agenda that supports parents and makes having kids more financially stable. I just have concern for approaches that rely on shame or coercion-tools that pressure families to conform to a narrow ideal or that undermine the agency/freedom of women.

Trump Aides Solicit Ideas to Raise Birthrate, From Baby Bonuses to Fertility Planning (Gift Article) Baby bonuses and menstrual cycle classes are among the ideas pitched to Trump aides as they consider plans to try boosting the birthrate.

As someone who has been working on child care policy in a cultural climate that supports traditional gendered labor roles and tends to oppose efforts aimed at increasing women’s labor force participation, I am worried about this.

www.nytimes.com/2025/04/21/u...

Forcing people to pay $130 for a passport in order to vote is just a Jim Crow poll tax by another name.

It is blatantly unconstitutional.

2025 Legislative Recap Voices for Utah Children advocates and advances policies and practices that are good for all of Utah’s children.

Our Voices for Utah Children 2025 Legislative Recap is out! utahchildren.org/newsroom/spe... #utleg
We break down what happened during the legislative session, what we accomplished alongside our partners, and why staying engaged matters now more than ever. 🌈🧒🏦

Utah: I am selling my Rad City 3 Commuter E-Bike.

~900 miles, used very lightly, stored indoors, charged indoors, and in great shape. Can remove stickers, can deliver. $850 OBO.

It’s a very fun bike! I just don’t use it anymore.

Bernie Sanders is coming to Salt Lake on the 13th. Doors open at 3:30pm, starts speaking at 6pm

How a new daycare will change the economy, families’ lives in this Utah child care ‘desert’ Young families in Wayne County have had to make some hard choices about how to work and take care of their kids.

How a new daycare will change the economy and families’ lives in this Utah child care ‘desert’ www.fox13now.com/news/fox-13-...
Stellar reporting from @tstevensmedia.bsky.social @fox13news.bsky.social

A DAY WITHOUT CHILDCARE - MAY 12, 2025 Please sign up here and let us know if you plan to participate.

Utah's DAY WITHOUT CHILD CARE
When: Monday, May 13th, 3-5 PM
Who: Child care professionals, parents, advocates, owners, teachers, & children!
What: Spotlight the true cost of care and demand the funding we need for a 21st-century childcare system.

RSVP:
docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1F...

Voices Responds: 2025 Legislative Recap Voices for Utah Children advocates and advances policies and practices that are good for all of Utah’s children.

📆Voices Responds: 2025 Leg Recap

Join us on April 8, 12-1 PM, for a breakdown of the 2025 Legislative Session where we'll answer YOUR questions! #utleg

RSVP Today: utahchildren.org/newsroom/eve...

Don’t use our kids as props for your ‘family-friendly’ theater  • Utah News Dispatch Commentary: Utah lawmakers did little for tens of thousands of working families who need relief from the state's ongoing child care crisis.

Don’t use our kids as props for your ‘family-friendly’ theater. From my colleague Anna Thomas: utahnewsdispatch.com/2025/03/24/d...

Were you homeschooled and educationally neglected for religious reasons? If you share your story, it can help SCOTUS better understand the stakes of protecting every child’s right to an education: responsiblehomeschooling.org/amicus-brief...

Shelter Skelter: How the Educational Choice for Children Act Would Use Tax Avoidance to Fuel School Privatization The Educational Choice for Children Act of 2025 would ostensibly provide a tax break on charitable donations to organizations that give out private K-12 school vouchers. Most of the so-called “contrib...

NEW: The Educational Choice for Children Act would send $136.3 billion in public revenue to private school voucher programs over the next 10 years.

It would also allow the rich to donate stock and avoid capital gains tax, ultimately creating a lucrative tax shelter. itep.org/educational-...

Voices Responds: 2025 Legislative Recap Voices for Utah Children advocates and advances policies and practices that are good for all of Utah’s children.

📢 Voices Responds: 2025 Leg Recap 📢

Join us on April 8, 12-1 PM for a post-session breakdown of the 2025 Legislative Session! 🏛️ We'll cover key policy decisions, what they mean for Utah kids & families, and answer YOUR questions. #utleg

➡️ utahchildren.org/newsroom/eve...

I was traveling out of state over the weekend and two people from different states asked me about Utah banning the pride flag.

This is shameful for our state.

The Senate is considering a budget resolution that threatens deep cuts to programs that many families with young children rely on, including Medicaid, SNAP, and Pell Grants.

Tell Congress to Stand Up for Families with Young Children! www.votervoice.net/NAEYC/Campai...

Utah parents lose trust, feel ignored after legislature kills daycare bill After the Utah House killed a bill during the recent legislative session that would have used empty state offices to help families with daycare, some believe the bill was basically ignored.

Parent Melanie Call hopes to reenter the workforce one day. “On the last day of the legislative session, I literally cried...I just feel diminished from the workforce because I became a mom. And I don’t think that’s right." said Call. #utleg
www.fox13now.com/news/local-n...

I’ve never heard child care providers express more frustration over lawmakers failing to engage them on legislation that directly impacts their work.

There’s also growing concern that policymakers prioritize the appearance of support over delivering real, meaningful solutions.

What Happened With Child Care During the 2025 Legislative Session? Voices for Utah Children advocates and advances policies and practices that are good for all of Utah’s children.

"What Happened With Childcare During the 2025 Legislative Session?"

My take: Lawmakers passed bills that didn't include childcare stakeholder input, didn't reflect the needs of the community, and won't move the needle on fixing the childcare crisis. #utleg
utahchildren.org/newsroom/spe...

Also idk how drivers don’t understand they have to stop at crosswalks for pedestrians, it’s beyond

The Utah legislative session ends on a familiar note

In final minutes, Utah lawmakers ax commission meant to boost women’s equality In the final minutes of their recently completed session, Utah lawmakers voted to disband the state’s Women in the Economy Commission, created to improve gender equality by making policy recommendations for how to better help women participate in the workforce.

In the final minutes of their recently completed session, Utah lawmakers voted to disband the state’s Women in the Economy Commission, created to improve gender equality by making policy recommendations for how to better help women participate in the workforce.

Costs of child care now outpace college tuition in 38 states, analysis finds • Utah News Dispatch Child care exceeds college tuition in 38 states, including Utah, and the District of Columbia, according to the Economic Policy Institute.

The cost of child care now exceeds the price of college tuition in 38 states — Utah among them — and the District of Columbia, according to a new analysis conducted by the Economic Policy Institute.

Read more from @stateline.org