Dear Friends and neighbors,

At a time when good news can be hard to find, I want to share something special bringing optimism to our Peak to Peak community. 

In July 2024 Nederland voted 72% “yes” to support development of a new childcare campus on Nederland’s old town shop site in the Dyers neighborhood to provide access to high-quality, year-round early childhood education and care. 

Last August, TEENS, Inc. broke ground on a new center that will triple the available childcare slots locally, while also introducing much-needed infant care and after-school programs. In sum, it will:

• Serve up to 65 children daily, year-round, from infancy through preschool.

• Offer sliding-scale tuition and unlimited enrollment for families eligible for the Colorado Child Care Assistance Program (CCAP).

• Include a commercial kitchen to provide healthy meals for all enrolled children.

• Strengthen our local elementary schools by creating a reliable feeder program.

• Support early childhood education (ECE) workforce development through internships and career and technical education partnerships.

• Be an energy efficient, sustainable and state-of-the-art safe and engaging learning space.

After 21 months of focused effort and community support, the project is approaching completion, with the center slated to open in October. It will provide vital support to local families, help maintain economic stability, and foster long-term community vibrancy. 

But TEENS, Inc. needs some help before it can open its doors. They recently announced that they’ve raised 90% of the $7 million required for the childcare center. Now they’re asking for the general public to help them get to the finish line.

Why is this important? According to the Center for the Economics of Human Development, every $1 invested in early childhood education returns $7.30 to society through higher earnings, improved health, and reduced costs for social services and crime prevention. These benefits extend beyond individual children—strengthening families, schools, and the local economy.

This center will do more than meet immediate childcare needs. It will provide a nurturing, enriching environment where children can explore, discover, and build connections with caring adults, peers, and the natural world.

Think you may be able to help? For donors, there are significant gift-matching and compelling tax incentives for those who can contribute. For all community members, we’d love to show you what we’re building, and ask for your support in helping us complete this project by the Fall.      You can learn more at TEENSINC.org/ecec/

If you’d like to see the new facility for yourself, we are running regular “hard hat tours” of the facility. Please reach out to schedule one.

Tom Mahowald

Board Member, TEENS, Inc.