Chaffee County Early Childhood Council (CCECC) would like to assess the specific childcare needs of our local workforce again. This
data will help us partner with other organizations, local businesses, and potential funders to initiate conversations necessary to develop viable solutions to issues our local workforce may face regarding childcare. It has been sent to large employers, small businesses, and nonprofits. We want to ensure that all Chaffee workforce has the opportunity to participate in this community analysis. The survey will be open until November 21st. All participants will be entered in a chance to win a gift card. We are requesting one survey per family. The link to the survey is here: https://forms.gle/BUdTZWeZxKNWomZaA CCECC’s last childcare survey was sent out in 2023. It revealed that 77% of families that participated in the survey needed additional childcare services. 86% reported that they needed full-day care, and 47% reported that they needed care 5 days a week. As we have seen in the
last five years, childcare is an issue that has had a massive impact on our whole community, and not just for those needing childcare. Many people have reported experiencing longer wait times for goods and services due to businesses being short-staffed. Most of our surveys reach about 120 families, and we are hoping this one will have a large enough pool of participants to
get some really great data. CCECC uses this data to help find additional funding for expansion projects for childcare centers. We were able to use our 2023 data to assist Buena Vista School District in requesting funding for the new Grove Early Learning Center, and as a result, they were able to increase from one toddler classroom to three. We hope to use this data for more expansion efforts in Chaffee County. CCECC is a non-profit organization that serves children and their families, prenatal through age
8, and works with many diverse community partners, including organizations, parents, and professionals. CCECC works with the community to assess local early childhood needs, identify proven solutions, and access the resources necessary to embed solutions into the ongoing work of community partners. Visit www.ccecc.org for more information about our work.