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CHILD CARE
County for child care even though they work in Clear Creek County; or how they take turns working so the other parent can be home, which means the parents don’t see each other.
“I don’t think we imagined we would be in a town with no child care,” one parent said. “It’s stressful. We are now a one-income family. My husband stays home with (our daughter).”
O cials at the meeting talked about what is available and plans for center-based child care, which are still years away. e nonpro t has talked about a child care center in the former Church of Jesus Christ of LatterDay Saints in Dumont, but county o cials want a sub-area plan to determine what kind of development should be put in the area including the church building, which the county owns.
A year-round early childhood learning center with room for up to 66 children from infants to pre-kindergarten is expected to be open in January 2025 in Building 103, which is the former middle school building.
Some attendees said they would reach out to county commissioners to ask that the plan be done sooner rather than later.
Parents said the before- and after-school care programs, summer camps and toddler time at the Clear Creek rec center in Idaho Springs were a blessing. ose with older children also were grateful for the children’s programs the libraries provide.
Marnie Copeland with Triad Bright Futures said she was available to help Clear Creek families nd solutions to the lack of child care and to help them navigate the universal pre-kindergarten program.
“My role is to connect Gilpin, Clear Creek and rural Je co by supporting families with child care needs and with mental health,” she explained.
Triad Bright Futures works with families in the three counties to, among other things, provide families with a variety of high-quality early care and education options that meet their needs, according to the Triad Bright Futures website. Melanie Keuroglian, the head of Georgetown Community School, said because of the need, it has added a toddler room to its preschool program.
“We’re super excited,” she told the group. “We are trying to t the needs of everybody who has children. We want to meet those needs.”
