Category: Blog

We are thrilled to announce that the Colorado Department of Early Childhood (CDEC) has partnered with EPIC to bring back the Employer-Based Childcare Design Lab 2.0 to support employers, or community partnerships that include employers, to prepare and plan for the creation of an on-site or near-site childcare program. Starting now through August 2023, EPIC will host a series of virtual design sessions for lab participants to build knowledge and access tools to launch a childcare program, at or near their business locations. The inaugural Design Lab brought applicants from all industries and sectors, including local government, ski resorts, food industries, hospitals and school districts. This program was vital to organizations learning about topics outside of their areas of expertise and was highly beneficial to their community. Some of the employers in the Design Lab were: Steamboat Ski Resort, Community Hospital, Grand Junction, Fuel & Iron, Clear Creek School District, Weld County R-1 School District, Vail Valley Foundation, City of Aspen, Devonshire Acres and Rio Blanco County & City of Meeker. Project work continues for participants, many in rural and frontier communities. “This Design Lab helped us to show so many that said this was an impossible project that not only was it possible but would benefit our community in a multitude of ways now and in the future”   Clear Creek County Representative Click here to learn more.

EPIC has a powerful voice and is grateful to engage in opportunities to strengthen initiatives, funding, and programs for the childcare ecosystem in Colorado and promote idea generation nationally. Here are a few things we’ve been working on to bring access and quality early care and education to all children and families. Assistant Secretary Visit EPIC was honored to host a very special roundtable with Assistant Secretary of the Administration for Children and Families (ACF Administration for Children and Families), January Contreras, in August at Guild Education. EPIC members and partners had the opportunity to discuss public-private partnership efforts with the Assistant Secretary, as well as share EPIC’s work to bridge the gap between the business community and early childhood.     2022 Hunt Institute Early Childhood Leadership Summit Nicole Riehl, was invited to The Hunt Institute’s 2022 Early Childhood Leadership Summit as a panelist with Barry Ford from Council for a Strong America and Jack McBride from Contec, Inc. They discussed the business case for early childcare support and positive outcomes that come with fiscal support. The Summit is a national event, which hosts governors, lieutenant governors, legislators, and state leaders to discuss current challenges and opportunities in early childhood education, supporting childcare for infants and toddlers, building a stronger early learning workforce, and the state of the American childcare industry. EPIC was honored to participate, share the work we are doing, and learn from other experts across the country.   Building Up: Childcare Insights and Opportunities for Action  EPIC’s Building Up retreat brought together business leaders, community organizations, and early childcare experts and advocates to share insights and pinpoint opportunities for action. Participants helped select the most impactful elements for our exciting new tool in development, EPIC’s Childcare Map. We envision this tool as support for emerging and existing providers, along with community partners and childcare advocates. The event featured high-impact strategies to support and improve childcare access and sustainability, highlighting opportunities for increased access to capital, access to low-cost or free real estate, and strategies for operational sustainability. The event included a panel round table that included the leading industry voices of Dr. Lisa Roy, Colorado Department of Early Childhood; Dave Rogers, Government, and Public Services; Debra Locke, Second Family Childcare; Whisper Mondragon, Unique Play Place; Nim Patel, Colorado Enterprise Fund; and Jeanne McQueeney, Eagle Couty Commissioner. Finally, we looked at policy and regulatory reform opportunities to remove barriers to entry and develop key support across Colorado’s provider network. This insightful discussion will help us develop our 2023 advocacy and action plans. Thank you to our friends at Mile High United Way for hosting our Building Up retreat!   EPIC in front of the US Chamber of Commerce Foundation On September 27, Nicole Riehl had the opportunity to serve on a panel for childcare in the Centennial State, hosted by the US Chamber of Commerce Foundation. Facilitated by Sasha Caputo, Senior Coordinator of the US CCF, Nicole was joined on the panel by Anne Lance of Teaching […]

From the Desk of the Director of Programs and Initiatives: Alethea Gomez Hello Friends and Members of EPIC! It has been bittersweet to see the snow melt away, put away our ski gear and begin to see and hear the first signs of Spring, from the occasional birdsong to tiny tulip leaves and purple flowers making themselves known as we walk familiar paths in the neighborhood. At EPIC, we are busier than ever with the legislative session, numerous incredible community projects in early education and employee benefit development that we have the honor of supporting and guiding forward, and our pursuit of innovation and unique partnerships to develop the infrastructure of Colorado’s childcare. We have been so lucky in the first quarter to have not only completed the inaugural Employer Based Childcare Design Lab but also to support to begin to rethink the possibilities of how early education support impacts and benefits all business operations. Read on for an update on our statewide initiative, Building Up! A Building ‘UP-date’ The Building Up Advisory Group Kickoff Meeting was held on February 23rd, with Real Estate, Finance, and General advisors from the early childcare and education sector starting the discussion around efforts to identify promising project and policy solutions to explore. In addition, EPIC consulted with the Reinvestment Fund, a national CDFI, to compile and analyze critical financial data for the early childcare and education sector.  This data will be utilized for the pending landscape analysis being conducted in partnership with the Common Sense Institute to illuminate the true cost of care and challenges plaguing the childcare business model. The landscape analysis is expected to be complete by May 2022, and EPIC will be planning an event with business and economic development leaders in late May to highlight the opportunities revealed through the landscape analysis. During the kickoff, Building Up advisory members met with group members in their prospective areas of expertise. Highlights from these discussions included: supporting small businesses that experience common barriers to accessing loans and other forms of financial and capital development support real property and business tax changes, incentivizing inclusion in affordable housing projects for land owners and developers, creating an online database to match businesses with potential real estate sites, work with the faith-based community and public entities to identify potential childcare facility locations subsidy and fund development opportunities for those pursuing childcare businesses, changes in underwriting requirements for early care and education businesses, as well the continued pursuit of loan guarantee programs to support landlords and business owners alike in the viability and sustainability of their businesses. We have already had the chance to see firsthand prototypes and models of some of these systems and ideas, and the potential impact these can have on early education development in our communities is very exciting. The Building Up real estate and finance groups met separately on April 11th and 14th alongside key members of our general advisory to expand on these conversations and identify next steps and promising […]

From the Desk of the Director of Programs and Initiatives: Alethea Gomez Perhaps your family was watching alongside mine and many others around the world as Winter Olympians from around the globe (some hailing from Colorado!) competed on the world’s biggest sports stage. It is incredible to think about the dedication and willingness to push the boundaries required to reach a level where you serve as the example of excellence for all others. EPIC is dedicated to working with our membership and a wide range of partners to push the boundaries and engage in legislative and community efforts that embrace innovation in such a way that can be modeled, shared with others, and demonstrated as a success across our country. Rooted in the desire to prioritize the development and retention of workforce talent while meeting the needs of families and communities, EPIC is leading transformative community efforts to reduce the costs of childcare, create access to quality early education services for those who need it most, and build support across sectors for this work. READ ON! 2022 Community Initiatives Snapshot Employer Based Childcare Design Lab: The First of Its Kind                               EPIC has recently partnered with state partners in the Office of Early Childhood to create and present Colorado’s first Employer Based Childcare Design Lab, guiding and supporting 10 employers/partnerships from a range of sectors in Colorado communities as they seek to create on or near-site early childcare and education services. With a goal of serving employees and families in their community, the lab provides broad training, resources, and education in everything from financial modeling to workforce development and real estate, so design lab participants can take their project from concept to completion. Over the past 5 months, through both live sessions and individualized coaching and technical assistance, these project partners have engaged in community partnerships, innovative model development, and comprehensive business planning. Additionally, EPIC has supported these projects in planning for investments to support high-quality environments and programs within their plans, including above-market wages, lower student-to-child ratios, and ensuring both families and caregivers have supports they can count on at work. When complete, these community endeavors will collectively provide nearly 500 new spots for young children in high-quality education and care, with 275 of those spots becoming available for infants and toddlers. In addition, nearly 140 new jobs will be created through this effort, with an anticipated total investment of over $20 million in the construction and ongoing quality supports and initiatives within each operation. A Couple Project Sneak Peaks… Fuel & Iron Food Hall (Pueblo, Co) Originally conceived as an opportunity to provide an incubator and a catalyst in the community in historic downtown Pueblo, the Fuel & Iron food hall project will house 28 single and multi-family affordable housing units, 5 food vendors, and now a 40-50 slot early care and education center to serve onsite employees, residents, and members of the community. […]