PRESS RELEASE – FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Christina Taylor
Phone: (970) 290-6609
Email: [email protected]
Fort Collins, CO, September 3, 2024
Northern Colorado’s Regional Child Care Innovation Summit
Please join Early Childhood Council of Larimer County, together with Weld County’s Early Childhood Council and Early Childhood Council of Boulder County, on Monday, September 30th for the inaugural Northern Colorado Regional Child Care Innovation Summit. Taking place from 9am-3pm at the Longmont Museum, 400 Quail Rd, Longmont, CO 80501, the summit will feature keynote speakers, panels, and brainstorming sessions. The event is free and includes lunch.
Everyone depends on someone who depends on child care. Yet, we continue to fall short in meeting child care needs throughout Northern Colorado, with 4 out of 5 families with infants struggling to find licensed child care. Nearly 40% of our workforce cross community lines every day, making the need for regional collaboration even more important.
“The summit is a great way for people across Larimer, Boulder, and Weld counties to learn about innovative solutions to our child care crisis and unearth new ideas together,” said Christina Taylor, CEO of Early Childhood Council of Larimer County. “We have to think and act differently if we truly want to move the needle for child care. Collaboration is vital to finding and implementing sustainable solutions to the child care crisis.”
Whether you’re a business leader, policy maker, or early education provider, this event offers a unique opportunity to engage with experts, share insights, and collaborate solutions to solve our child care crisis.
“It’s time to come together and talk about the child care crisis in our communities and what we can do about it,” said Kaycee Headrick, CEO of Early Childhood Council of Boulder County. “Quality child care is essential for establishing a strong foundation in life and learning, and unfortunately, too many of our children are going without. We know together we can accomplish more, so let’s come together to do more for our future leaders.”
Elliot Haspel, a nationally-recognized child and family policy expert and commentator, and Dr. Lisa Roy, Executive Director of Colorado’s Department of Early Childhood, will be featured speakers. Attendees will hear directly from local leaders about what unique challenges and opportunities exist. From employer-provided child care to legislative approaches and from regional efforts to a campus-style hub for care, the day will cover all the angles to solving the child care crisis and generate new solutions not yet considered.
“Families in our communities continue to struggle to find care for their children, especially those with infants and toddlers,” said Adriana Carrillo, Assistant Director of Early Childhood Initiatives, Weld County’s Early Childhood Council. “In Weld County, there is only 7% licensed capacity for infants, which means that thousands of infants are potentially in settings in which they are not receiving the high quality care they deserve. Parents are having to make the incredibly difficult decision for their families in which they are having to choose between remaining in the workforce to maintain necessary income and staying at home with their young children because they cannot afford or find care. This is not just an issue for families, but a workforce issue. If parents cannot afford or find care for their children, it is a loss of skilled professionals for the business community as well. We need business leaders and elected officials to understand the important role they play in the early childhood landscape.”
Registration for the event is free and includes lunch. Register at http://bit.ly/3AwWSqg.
About Early Childhood Council of Larimer County
Early Childhood Council of Larimer County is an independent nonprofit organization that rallies support, resources, and awareness to ensure every young child in our community has quality childhood experiences so they thrive from day one. Learn more at www.ecclc.org.