Church for the City opens Kids Academy to ease Yuma childcare shortage

Yuma County’s childcare shortage came into sharp focus at a ribbon-cutting in Yuma as Church for the City opened its new Kids Academy, a preschool the church says was created to provide affordable childcare and expand access for families across the region.

The timing reflects a gap that has been repeated by local and state voices for years. Church for the City says Yuma County has about 18,000 children under age 6, but only about 6,000 childcare slots, leaving thousands of families competing for far too few openings. Greater Yuma Economic Development Corporation leader Salvador Ortiz summed up the pressure on employers and working parents this way: “Yuma County doesn’t work if child care doesn’t work.”

Lead pastor Tyrone P. Jones said the idea of starting a school had been on his heart for decades, dating back to when he founded the church 33 years ago. Church for the City was established in 1993 as Calvary Temple of Christ, and Jones has framed the academy as more than an early-learning site. He said it is intended to give children a safe place to grow, a spiritual center, and, eventually, a program that could expand through eighth grade.

The academy’s launch also suggests the church is building it as a real operating program, not a symbolic add-on. Church staff listings show a Kidz Academy director, lead teacher, teachers, teacher aides and administrative support, a structure that points to an organized preschool operation already in motion.

The opening lands in the middle of a larger workforce and public-policy problem. Arizona Department of Economic Security says child care assistance helps parents and legal guardians work, attend school or take part in other approved activities, which makes access to care a direct factor in whether adults can stay in jobs or pursue training. First Things First has said the same 18,000-under-6 and 6,000-capacity figures show a shortage that has been part of Yuma County’s public conversation for years, not a one-time snapshot.

That is why the new Kids Academy matters beyond the church campus. In a county where demand clearly outpaces available seats, even one more preschool can ease pressure for some families, while also showing how faith-based organizations are stepping into the childcare gap that continues to shape work, school and household stability across Yuma.