Anyone who has dealt with childcare in the Aspen-to-Parachute region knows it’s a tough business. If you are lucky enough to find a spot for your little one, you probably had to sit on a waitlist for quite some time and the cost is right up there with a second mortgage. Providers face a constant struggle to hold the line against staff turnover while maintaining compliance with myriad rules and regulations, all the while taking on a job that would make most of us want to hide under the table — managing the provision of care for a multitude of small children at the same time.
But there is also much to be inspired by. The people who run these programs are saint-like in the capacity of their caring hearts and childcare centers are a place of community bonding. The way these programs help infants grow strong into toddlers into Kindergarten-bound fully functioning small humans brings joy to working parents, and the resilience of these programs to adapt to challenging and changing circumstances is something to behold.
At Aspen Journalism this week, we published a story putting some hard numbers and human faces to this sentiment. Analyzing data gathered by a regional child care advocacy coalition, we reported that between Aspen and Parachute, there is roughly one spot in a licensed childcare program for every two children under the age of 5. But the picture is uneven depending on which end of the valley you are looking at. Aspen to Glenwood, licensed child care capacity by ZIP code covers at least half the under-5 kids that live there. But heading down the Colorado River Valley, from the area west of Glenwood Springs through Parachute, licensed spots amount to just 35% of the children under 5, which puts the area close to the definition of a “child care desert” — where there is one spot for every three kids.
The reporting also showed that Garfield County generally has a higher preponderance of licensed in-home care facilities, as opposed to traditional day-care or preschool centers — many of which were started by parents unable to find a spot for their own kids and who saw an opportunity to also provide care for others. Meanwhile, most providers reported that they were serving more kids than their “desired capacity” either because they were compelled to help fill the childcare gap or out of financial necessity.
Thanks to our Data Desk Editor Laurine Lassalle for this thorough work helping clarify the big issues as it relates to childcare in this region, and to freelance photographer Kelsey Brunner for visiting three childcare providers to help visualize the story. The story ran in two parts this week in the Glenwood Springs Post-Independent and a Spanish translation of the story is appearing in both the Post-Independent and Sol del Valle.
Also this week, Water Desk Editor Heather Sackett published a story that verified with facts and data another thing we know to be true — that this has been an especially cold and cloudy winter. That is manifest in snowpack totals performing better at lower elevations than higher elevations. With lower temperatures and less sun to melt the snow off mid-elevation terrain, SNOTEL data-collection points below 10,000 feet in the Roaring Fork Valley are showing snowpack at 134% of average, whereas the sites above 10,000 feet have snowpack at 110% of average.
This will likely be a boon for the spring runoff, allowing more water to reach river systems, since the ample low-elevation snow will keep soil moisture levels high, and there is simply more terrain below 10,000 feet than above. But of course, it’s all speculation at this point. As we reported earlier this year, an April heat wave can reshape runoff patterns for the worse. Or, those atmospheric rivers might keep flowing. We’ll just have to wait and see.
And finally, don’t miss our free film-screening-and-panel-discussion event on Saturday evening, featuring the excellent documentary High Country about Crested Butte’s legacy of community building. Aspen Journalism is partnering with filmmaker Conor Hagen, retired local journalist Paul Andersen and a wide-ranging coalition including Aspen Chamber Resort Association, Aspen Business Center Foundation, Rotary Aspen, the city of Aspen, Pitkin County and Aspen Community Foundation that have stepped up to help sponsor this event at Paepcke Auditorium on the Aspen Meadows campus. Doors open at 5:30 with the screening to begin at 6 p.m. The hour-long film will be followed by a panel discussion that will take a cue from the film’s exploration of what makes a community strong and how to maintain community values in the face of change. We hope to see you there.
Thank you for reading, and supporting, Aspen Journalism.
With gratitude,
– Curtis Wackerle
Editor and executive director
Report sheds light on child care capacity gap across the Aspen-to-Parachute region
Data shows an uneven landscape between Roaring Fork and Colorado River valleys
By Laurine Lassalle
The Licensed Provider Survey Data Report, released last month by Confluence Early Childhood Education Coalition (CECE), showed that there is about one licensed spot available for every two kids across the region, with capacity constraint driven by low teachers pay and high cost of living in the Roaring Fork and Colorado River valleys.
Low-elevation snow stacks up this season
Experts unsure why SNOTEL sites below 10,000 feet performing better than high-elevation sites
By Heather Sackett
What more snow at lower elevations means for the timing of this spring’s runoff is also unclear, but forecasters say runoff volume should be above average.
Tracking the Curve
Eagle County has reported 25 new COVID-19 cases since last week. Garfield County has added 15 cases, while Pitkin County has recorded eight cases since March 1.
By Laurine Lassalle
Eagle County has reported 25 new COVID-19 cases since last week. Garfield County has added 15 cases, while Pitkin County has recorded eight cases since March 1.
Data dashboard: Snowpack still above average and climbing
But Lake Powell’s water levels keep dropping
By Laurine Lassalle
• Snowpack in the Roaring Fork basin reached 120% of average on March 5 or 129% of median.
• Lake Powell is 22.76% of full as of March 5.
• Lake Powell’s elevation is down to 3,520.8 feet or 4.2 feet below target elevation.
EVENT: High Country film screening and panel discussion
By Aspen Journalism Staff
Aspen Journalism is partnering with filmmaker, community coalition to present free film screening event on March 11 at Paepcke Auditorium in Aspen at 5:30 p.m.
Our nonprofit mission is to produce good journalism for people who care about Aspen, the Roaring Fork Valley, and the upper Colorado River basin.