HomeMy WebLinkAboutMemo - Mail Packet - 12/5/2023 - Memorandum From Adam Molzer Re: Childcare Priority Update: Affordable, Quality, And Accessible Childcare InfrastructureSocial Sustainability
222 Laporte Avenue
PO Box 580, Fort Collins, CO 80522
970-221-6757
amolzer@fcgov.com
MEMORANDUM
Date: November 29, 2023
To: Mayor and City Councilmembers
Through: Kelly DiMartino, City Manager
Tyler Marr, Deputy City Manager
Jacob Castillo, Chief Sustainability Officer
From: Adam Molzer, Human Services Program Manager
CC: Beth Yonce, Social Sustainability Department Director
Teresa Roche, Human Resources Executive
SeonAh Kendall, Economic Health Office Director
LeAnn Williams, Recreation Department Director
Subject: Childcare Priority Update: Affordable, Quality and Accessible Childcare Infrastructure
The purpose of this memo is informational and provides a check-in on the status of the childcare sector in Fort
Collins and City Council’s priority on childcare – “Affordable, Quality, and Accessible Childcare Infrastructure”.
This memo reflects efforts occurring between January-November 2023.
Bottom Line: Systemic impediments affecting access, affordability and workforce stability persist throughout
the childcare sector in Fort Collins. The City continues to address the stabilization of childcare as a priority.
City Role & Scope: The City’s role is to help reduce barriers, increase capacity, leverage City assets,
identify and respond to childcare needs, and lead by example as an employer. This response is achieved
through partnerships, funding, programs, technical assistance, policy, and legislative action.
Noteworthy Highlights - City of Fort Collins: The City continues to support a variety of activities to help
stabilize childcare needs for the larger community and employees, including:
• Interior facility upgrades to the childcare suite at Northside Aztlan Community Center (NACC) will be
completed at the beginning of December. Improvements include security and increased capacity for
licensed early childhood and summer camp programs. Licensed and non-licensed childcare programming
will start up in the new space on January 9, 2024 to align with the start of the PSD Spring semester. A
Ribbon Cutting ceremony will be held to commemorate the grand opening of the childcare suite in mid-
January (date & time TBA).
• With new childcare suite construction complete at NACC, the City’s Recreation Department will be
able to proceed with offering Universal Pre-Kindergarten (UPK) services for families in Fall 2024,
including full-day Pre-Kindergarten for 4–5-year-olds.
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• The completed NACC construction will allow the Recreation Department to move forward with
obtaining a Colorado Shines Quality Rating and Improvement System (QRIS) Level 3-5 Rating for the
Funtime Preschool.
• Human Resources and the Recreation Department continue to partner to provide the Recreation
Childcare Benefit, allowing up to $500 per child, or $750 per household maximum, from a licensed
Camp FunQuest or Funtime Preschool/Adventures enrollment. Over $13,125 in Recreation Department
childcare subsidies were utilized in 2023 by benefit-eligible City employees who sought discounted
caregiving services.
• Direct childcare services offered in summer 2023 by the Recreation Department (Camp FunQuest &
Funtime Adventures) served 325 individual campers from 252 households/families. 36% of summer
camp enrollments were families who qualify for the Reduced Fee Program. 47 days of summer camp
were offered, with 168 spots per day available across the various camp sites, providing 6,720
individual camp enrollment spots.
• Human Services Program contracts for the 2023-24 grant term are now active, with $176,777
(General Fund) awarded towards early childhood education and childcare services:
o Boys & Girls Clubs of Larimer County - Afterschool and Out-of-School Programs
o Respite Care - Scholarships for Low-Income Families
o Teaching Tree Early Childhood Learning Center – Scholarships for Low-Income Families
o The Family Center / La Familia - Scholarships for Low-Income Families & Family Support Services
o United Way of Larimer County – Larimer Child Care Fund Scholarships
• $400,000 of ARPA funds were committed by Social Sustainability in 2023 through a competitive grant
process to 6 childcare system support programs. Awards were made to the following organizations and
are currently being expended:
o Boys & Girls Clubs of Larimer County - Scholarships for Harmony Club Youth
o CARE Housing - Heartside Hill Community Building
o Early Childhood Council of Larimer County - ECE Workforce Training & Retention Pilot
o Respite Care - Workforce Retention Bonuses
o Teaching Tree Early Childhood Learning Center – Workforce Retention Bonuses
o United Way of Larimer County – Larimer Child Care Fund Scholarships
• Social Sustainability will complete the subrecipient contracting process in December to award $423,955
of ARPA funds to 6 childcare system support programs for the 2024 calendar year. Awards will support
the following organizations:
o Boys & Girls Clubs of Larimer County - Scholarships for Harmony Club Youth
o Respite Care - Workforce Retention Bonuses
o St. Lukes Church - Community Pre-School Site Renovation
o Teaching Tree Early Childhood Learning Center – Workforce Retention Bonuses
o The Family Center / La Familia - Mental Health Supports
o United Way of Larimer County – Larimer Child Care Fund Scholarships
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• The City of Fort Collins continues to participate in the regional workforce initiative called NoCo Works,
a partnership with Larimer and Weld partners to address and align to regional workforce challenges
and opportunities for local employers and the workforce. Access to affordable childcare is recognized
as a workforce barrier within this effort.
• The Larimer Small Business Development Center (SBDC) leads an Early Childcare Business Training
Program, which is conducted in both English and Spanish. The City’s Economic Health Office is an
annual sponsor of the Larimer SBDC and promotes this program to our business community.
• An interdepartmental review is underway to evaluate internal City project options that may align with a
non-lapsing budget fund designated for childcare. These funds came from proceeds of the 2020 sale of
a City asset (906 East Stuart). Over $269k is available. Projects have been reviewed from Recreation,
Human Resources, Economic Health, and Social Sustainability. Final project scoping will conclude in
early 2024 and as funding is needed, an appropriation request will be submitted to Council.
• The Caregivers’ Alliance Employee Resource Group has two new chairs, and the group is active with
Travis Storin as the Executive Sponsor. This internal City employee resource group continues to host
monthly meetings to provide practical tools and space for City staff who serve as caregivers to
children, youth or older adults to share mental and emotional load together. This group continues to
engage employees on caregiver issues that are relevant to City employees. All Employee Resource
Groups presented at the City’s fall All Managers Meeting, and the feedback was very positive.
• The City’s Flexible Work Practices, launched in September 2022, have allowed the organization to
provide options for our caregivers as leaders work with them to ensure community and colleagues’
needs are met while allowing for flexibility. The Council will be receiving the one-year evaluation
report from City Manager DiMartino.
• In December, Human Resources will communicate changes made for hourly and contractual employees
with FAMLI, our other leave programs for classified and unclassified management employees, and the
results of the Request for Proposal for Emergency Caregiving needs effective January 1, 2024.
• Utilities held their annual, highly successful Bring Your Child to Work Day in August.
• Childcare continues to be included as a policy statement category in the City’s 2023 Legislative Policy
Agenda and is proposed again for 2024.
Noteworthy Highlights - Community
• Front Range Community College continues to offer zero-cost training programs through the Career
Advance Colorado program. These programs are developed in order to fulfill regional workforce gaps
and needs, including the early childhood education industry.
• Front Range Community College will receive $1.45 million from the US Department of Education to
continue its childcare assistance program for students who have kids. Through 2026, students who
have children and meet program qualifications can receive subsidies that cover up to 60% of their
monthly childcare costs while they are in college.
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• Executives Partnering to Invest in Children (EPIC), a Colorado child care advocacy organization, will soon
release a white paper titled "Clearing the Path for New Child Care Supply – Solutions for Child-Friendly
Planning, Housing and Community Development”. The report will identify opportunities to implement
policies and programs that can be adopted to prioritize and support child care as critical community
infrastructure. The City of Fort Collins is a business member of EPIC.
• Early Childhood Council of Larimer County (ECCLC) is celebrating 20 years as a 501c3 in the community.
The organization continues to build capacity and mobilize resources within the local childcare sector,
including the following highlights from 2023:
o Coordinating trainings and peer support opportunities to community members currently offering
friend, family, and neighbor (FFN) care to young children, in partnership with the BIPOC Alliance.
o Piloting a stipend program to support the wellness of educators and staff at four childcare centers.
o Serving as the Local Coordinating Organization for Universal Preschool in Larimer County; 110
early care and education providers offered the UPK program, which awarded a minimum of 10
hours of free preschool for four-year-olds in the year before they attend kindergarten. These
providers opened 3,300 UPK Colorado spots in Larimer to eligible children.
o Supporting Early Childhood Mental Health Consultants and Coaches to complete trainings in best
practices related to creating inclusive environments for children with disabilities.
o Assisting 10 Family Child Care Homes and 8 Child Care Centers in securing over $1.4M from the
Colorado Department of Early Childhood that would allow them to enhance or open their
programs and has added over 700 new child care slots in Larimer County.
o Partnering with the Fort Collins Chamber of Commerce to host a business leaders lunch,
featuring a keynote speech from the CEO of the Buell Foundation highlighting the importance of
local public investment for early childhood while emphasizing the business community’s role in
supporting these efforts.
o Supporting the collaboration and staff development between Willow Collective and the Larimer County
Department of Human Services (LCDHS) to explore the challenges, gaps, possibilities and strengths
faced by LSDHS (child welfare) in supporting the mental health of infants and young children.
o Supporting Family Child Care Home providers by offering pre-licensing trainings, partnering with
the Larimer County SBDC to offer child care business training, and providing technical
assistance, a licensing starter kit available in both Spanish and English and intensive business
training and coaching.
o Investing in programming and staffing that advances Diversity, Equity and Inclusion interests in
the childcare sector.
• The Larimer Child Care Fund was launched in April 2022 by United Way of Larimer County and
ECCLC. The Fund offers scholarships to income-qualified families receiving childcare services at
providers of their choice. Over $370,000 has been awarded to 44 families. The City of Fort Collins
contributed $110,000 in grant awards towards the Fund in 2023.
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• Since 2021, ECCLC has been working to secure a ballot question asking voters to approve a 0.25%
sales tax increase dedicated for early care and education in Larimer County. In mid-2023, the County
selected ECCLC as the sole RFP awardee to administer expanded services should a ballot initiative
be passed. Voter polling in 2023 indicated that economic factors would ultimately prevent a
successful ballot measure this year. As a result, ECCLC intends to refer a ballot question for the
November 2024 election, pending further public opinion research.
Next Steps:
• Maintain regular correspondence and check-ins with childcare partners to understand emerging
service gaps and respond appropriately.
• Administer funding programs that deploy ARPA dollars towards local childcare needs.
• Continue to evaluate regulatory barriers within the building and development processes that uniquely
affect childcare providers.
• Further implement policies and resources that serve the unique interests and needs of City employees
who are caregivers.
• Submit FY25-26 budget offers that focus on advancing Council’s childcare priorities for the community
and City employees.
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