Dear Editor,

On behalf of the Emergency Family Assistance Association (EFAA), I would like to express EFAA’s full support for the “YES” vote on the July 30th, 2024, special election, to allow TEENS, Inc. to lease town-owned land to build a new childcare facility in Nederland. This new facility would begin to address an important need in the mountain communities: Expanding access to affordable, year-round, early childhood education and care (ECEC) for families with children.

Currently, there is only one, year-round preschool (New Explorers Learning Center operated by TEENS, Inc.) with capacity for 20 children aged 2.5 - 7 years old. No infant care (under 2.5 years of age) exists throughout the Peak-to-Peak region and the existing preschool has a long wait list. Nederland Elementary School offers a preschool program for 3- and 4-year-olds but it only runs during regular school hours and is not available during the summer months.

As a core non-profit providing basic needs support in the Nederland community, EFAA sees this need firsthand. The families we support with rental assistance, housing, and other vital resources, are struggling to make ends meet. Providing access to quality, affordable childcare is key to their ability to work outside the home. Without childcare, parents are not able to work, or must cut their hours, further impacting their financial security. Quality childcare can also play an important part in early childhood development, by promoting school readiness to prepare children for kindergarten. In addition to the benefits childcare provides for families - it also helps stabilize the local workforce and future school populations, which benefits the broader community.

Rising costs and shrinking access to childcare are impacting the wellbeing of low-income families with children and the communities in which they live. TEENS, Inc. new childcare facility will begin to address this childcare gap which is particularly acute in our mountain communities. EFAA has worked with TEENS, Inc. for years within the Peak-to-Peak Housing and Human Service Alliance. The agency is a solid partner with deep roots in Nederland and a proven record of successfully providing this kind of service.

If you are a registered voter in the Town of Nederland, please consider voting YES to help increase access to affordable, quality childcare for the benefit of the children and those who call the mountain communities their home.

Thank you for your consideration,

Julie Van Domelen

Executive Director

Emergency Family Assistance Association (EFAA)