A Solution to the Child Care Shortage?

TELLURIDE, CO, JULY 7, 2017 – In San Miguel County there are approximately 383 children under the age of 5.

With only 211 child care slots, and just 14 of those slots designated to infant care, the region is facing a dire shortage in the child care realm, a problem exacerbated by the lack of qualified care givers.

That’s why Kathleen Merritt, executive director of Bright Futures — a Telluride-based nonprofit that focuses on early childhood education in the county — asked San Miguel County Commissioners at their meeting on Tuesday to consider adding a ballot item to this fall’s election that would help fund child care initiatives.

The proposed measure would raise property taxes to finance early childhood teacher recruitment and retention, parent education programs and financial assistance for families that can’t afford the high costs often associated with child care. Read more.