Child care special district preps for next steps | News

Early childhood education leaders in the Roaring Fork Valley are gearing up to establish one of Colorado’s first special taxing districts dedicated to child care, after voters gave a green light to the new district during the Nov. 4 election. 

The Confluence Early Childhood Development Special Service District will span from Aspen to Parachute and will use revenues from a new 0.25% sales tax to fund tuition assistance programs for early childhood learning, child care provider grants and other supports for families looking for child care. Just over a week after voters approved the creation of the special district and elected five inaugural board members, Confluence Early Childhood Education Coalition Director Maggie Tiscornia said the group is now getting ready to establish a work plan.

“The board will need to determine what kind of staffing they need, and start looking at the parameters and policies for the programs to be implemented,” Tiscornia said.

After the election results are certified (they are finalized but not officially certified until the end of November), the board will meet to pass a resolution allowing the district to begin collecting sales tax revenue in January. The meeting will likely take place in early December, Tiscornia said. 

The board will then convene to establish policies, bylaws and other next steps.

The special district is navigating through uncharted territory, Tiscornia said. It, alongside a special district serving the same needs that voters approved in Larimer County on Nov. 4, is the first special district of its kind in the state. Roaring Fork Valley-based Confluence Early Childhood Education Coalition worked for years with other valley stakeholders and state lawmakers to establish a law allowing communities to create such special taxing districts.

The law passed in 2019.

“This is the first time this has ever been done, so that inherently means that we are navigating uncharted territory,” Tiscornia said. “It just takes a little bit more coordination and time to navigate that.”

The district won’t be able to use its tax collections until at least June, Tiscornia said. But in the meantime, the board will determine what staffing it needs to operate and establish programs like tuition assistance and child care provider grant opportunities.

The district will represent a population of about 86,200 in Pitkin and Garfield counties and a portion of Eagle County, according to the district’s service plan. 

About $588,000 in sales tax revenue is expected to come from Eagle County, $4.57 million is expected to come from Garfield County and $5.35 million is expected to come from Pitkin County in the district’s first year, according to the service plan.

The district plans to spend about $3.85 million in its first year, largely on administrative expenses and start-up costs. It anticipates spending $1 million on early childhood education program capacity and quality grants in its first year, and $2 million on the same grants in its second year. 

While no money is planned to go toward tuition subsidies for families in the district’s first year, it is planning to allocate $7 million in tuition subsidies in 2027, according to the service plan. 

Voters in the district’s boundaries also elected the district’s first board members on Nov. 4. They will be responsible for planning the district’s programming and allocating funds when collections begin. 

They will hold meetings in accordance with the Colorado Open Meetings Act (meeting dates are still to be determined) and will establish advisory committees that may offer opportunities for public engagement.

According to the final ballot tallies, Amy Shipley will represent western Garfield County from Rifle to the Utah border on the district’s board. Shipley is a Rifle resident who has experience with the Garfield County Public Library District and Basalt Regional Library District, according to a candidate statement. 

Paul Stanley will represent eastern Garfield County from Silt to west Glenwood Springs on the board. Adley Larimer, who was uncontested on the ballot, will represent communities from Glenwood Springs to Carbondale. Stanley and Larimer did not submit candidate statements ahead of the election and could not immediately be reached for comment.

Carolynne Kraemer will represent Carbondale to Basalt, and the portions of Pitkin County along Highway 133. Kraemer is a small business owner who served six years on the board of directors for Growing Years Preschool in Basalt and has been chair of the Basalt Elementary School Accountability Committee since 2023.

Stefan Reveal will represent southern Pitkin County, including Aspen and Snowmass Village, on the board. Reveal is a senior vice president and loan officer with Alpine Bank and is the co-chair of the Kids First Advisory Board, an early childhood resource center that provides financial assistance to families and early childhood education centers in Pitkin County.