Hi, I'm Sarah Tober, executive director of the La Plata Economic Development Alliance, where we believe in the power of partnership and economic growth to drive meaningful change in our communities. Together we can shape a thriving, resilient La Plata County. We are proud to present this edition of Community Insights.

La Plata County's current childcare system has capacity for less than 22% of local children, ages zero to three. The Early Childhood Council of La Plata County plans to fill this childcare gap through a $10 million investment plan.

While well, we found that the majority of people in our community who have young children struggle to find care. That's particularly true for children who are under 12 months of age. There are only 80 licensed childcare spots for infants, and we have a birth rate of over 400 children a year. So that's a significant deficit.

A lack of reliable childcare means that parents of young children may have to decrease work hours, leave their jobs, or rely on family members to care for their children. This primarily affects parents with children under three years old since preschools are funded at the state level.

So the median income here in La Plata County is around $80,000 a year. That equates to an hourly wage of more than $36 an hour. And so for a family of four, they could spend up to 40% of their household income providing childcare if they have an infant and a preschooler that can amount to $21,000 a year. Here in La Plata County,

The Early Childhood Council of La Plata County aims to raise $2 million per year over the next five years for a total of $10 million. The funds will allow La Plata County to increase its childcare capacity by 450 slots. With a focus on infants and children under three years old. The funds also will support better compensation for the childcare workforce.

We have done more than 90 presentations of the strategic plan across the community and across the state. This is the first of its kind in Colorado. We're a model for other communities. We're providing technical assistance to other counties, and we are really eager to see the impact and outcomes of this strategic investment and funding

Research for the council. Strategic Investment Plan showed that the La Plata County Childcare workforce is under compensated livable wage. For a single adult in La Plata County is $24 per hour. Many childcare employees make 17 to $19 per hour sometimes with no benefits.

Well, it has created extensive turnover in the profession. We here in La Plata County have about 40% turnover for teachers in early education. This means that during a time when children need the most stability in responsive care and educational leadership, they're seeing a cycle of educators come through their classrooms year after year and sometimes month after month, which is not achieving the quality or the outcomes that we would like. As a community,

Hawk says that the majority of brain development happens before the age of five. A lack of stimuli during early childhood may delay school readiness and even create lifelong learning challenges. Our early

Childhood professionals are raising our future workforce here in La Plata County. We need those individuals to be prepared, resilient, to be curious, to want to explore, and we need them to stay and have a reason to stay in an opportunity for a profession here locally.

Up to 70% of the lodging tax collected by La Plata County may be allocated to childcare and housing. Based on a 2024 ballot measure. The Early Childhood Council is working with the county to determine how to best allocate those funds. The council also seeks support from businesses and community partners to meet its fundraising goal.

Businesses are benefiting from early childhood as an infrastructure here in La Plata County. It costs almost two and a half times the salary of a high quality professional to replace them. So if we're losing professionals, the business community is already paying for this problem. We'd like for them to direct their investment to the solutions, and we'd like those solutions to be comprehensive.

Hawk says that childcare shortages have a direct impact on the local economy. Amenities like housing and childcare affect company's abilities to attract and retain high quality professionals.

The the system of early childhood here in La Plata County has been supported for 28 years. Through grassroots efforts, we have staffed childcare centers and supported each other. The strategies to address this challenge are also coming from the community. They are driven by all of the information and all of the desires that we hear from families and employers to make our community stronger, and that's what

We're responding to. To learn more and make a donation, visit the Early Childhood Council of La Plata County website@ecclaplata.org. We're proud to present Community Insights powered by the Local News Network, and sponsored by the La Plata Economic Alliance. The Community Insights Mission fosters a stronger and more connected community in La Plata County and beyond. For more information about this and other stories, visit Durango Local News. Thank you for watching this edition of Community Insights. I'm Sadie Smith.