The Uncompahgre Valley Alliance (UVA) Childcare Caucus continues to build bridges all across Montrose County surrounding the issue of childcare.

After securing funding for a Childcare Needs Assessment in Montrose County, the Childcare Caucus set out to host an event to launch the assessment and survey, recognize funding and survey distribution partners, and most importantly, bring Montrose Community members together to work on a unifying issue.

The UVA Survey Launch event, held on April 8 via Zoom, caught the attention of many in Montrose County.
The Childcare Caucus welcomed parents, grandparents, child care providers, elected officials, organizations, and community members from Montrose, Olathe, and the West End. Attendees listened to the presentation in English and/or Spanish through live interpretation.

Montrose City Council member Barbara Bynum said of the event, “The kickoff included some compelling personal stories and I was impressed UVA offered live language interpretation. I’ve attended a lot of zoom meetings this year and I haven’t seen anyone else attempt that!”

Prior to the opening of the survey window, the Childcare Caucus set a goal of 250 responses and began reaching out to potential survey distribution partners.

Through partnerships with the Hispanic Affairs Project, Montrose County School District, Hilltop Family Resource Center, Montrose County Health and Human Services, local child care providers, and other partners throughout the City and County of Montrose, over 600 responses have now been returned!

Through the organizing process, the UVA Childcare Caucus continues to build meaningful relationships and bring community members together in a time when we are often divided. Council Member Bynum also said, “Partnering with UVA on the important topic of early childhood education was a pleasure. I was impressed with the organization’s professionalism and preparation. It was as if their members were following a playbook on how to engage with elected officials and advocate for needs in our community.”

Over the summer, data will be gathered and analyzed by Root Policy Research. The UVA Childcare Caucus is planning a conference in the fall of 2021 to present the findings to the community.

About the author

Rachael Balerio

Rachael Balerio is a licensed child care provider that lives in Montrose, Colorado with her husband and two children. As a mother and a former elementary teacher, she values early childhood care and education. Over the past year, Rachael has worked with the Uncompahgre Valley Alliance Childcare Caucus and the community of Montrose to secure funding and launch a Childcare Needs Assessment for Montrose County.

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