La Plata County Raises $5.6M for Child Care Access

When working parents can't find affordable child care, entire communities struggle. La Plata County in Colorado just took a major step toward solving that problem by raising $5.6 million for its Early Childcare Investment Fund.

The La Plata Economic Development Alliance brought together an impressive coalition of funders. The Morovan Family Foundation kicked in $100,000 over two years, while Durango City Council committed $260,000 and La Plata County pledged $150,000 in lodging tax revenue.

The federal government added $2 million in congressional funding specifically for a Bayfield child care facility. First Southwest Bank, a certified Community Development Financial Institution, sweetened the pot with a $5 million philanthropic loan guarantee.

The money will create 260 new child care slots across the county and increase wages for child care workers. Sarah Tober, executive director of the alliance, says new child care centers are already opening and adding available spots for families.

The Ripple Effect

The initiative's success is catching eyes beyond La Plata County. Communities around Colorado are looking at the investment fund model as a blueprint for their own child care challenges.

Tober acknowledges that local funding is a bridge, not a permanent solution. "Long-term, this has to be a state and/or federally funded initiative," she said. "But the work that we're doing here is helping to stabilize the industry and helping to grow it."

The alliance isn't stopping with child care. Its Regional Housing Alliance has raised $1.2 million for workforce housing, awarding about $600,000 to projects that will create 550 affordable housing units across the county.

Two Durango projects recently received catalyst funding: Lightner Creek Commons got $75,000 for a 29-unit affordable complex, while Rivergate Lots 4 and 5 received $100,000 for 50 below-market units. Round 7 of catalyst fund awards opened this month.

The Early Childhood Council of La Plata County is now developing a wage stipend program for child care employees, making the career path more sustainable. With state and federal child care funding uncertain, these local dollars are keeping centers open and families working.

What started as a local response to crisis is becoming a statewide solution worth copying.