A new child care center in Nederland that cost $7 million to build is already filling up fast, with the facility reporting it was filled to 70% capacity shortly after opening. The New Explorers Learning Center held a ribbon-cutting last weekend, and the nonprofit that runs it says infant care — a first for the town — is expected to begin Monday.
The center is operated by the local nonprofit TEENS, Inc., according to CBS Colorado, which reports the facility has capacity for 60 children — a sharp jump from the small preschool TEENS, Inc. previously ran for up to 22 children a day, per Colorado Hometown Weekly, which had reported in September that the expanded center planned to offer up to 65 spots a day for infants, toddlers and children up to age 7. The new building includes classrooms, playrooms, a kitchen and an outdoor playground, CBS Colorado reports.
For Nederland parent Chelsey LaForge, the opening could not have come soon enough. She had been on a Nederland daycare waitlist since she was pregnant with her daughter Mayla, now 3, and told CBS Colorado there were no child care options in town. Instead, she took her daughter to preschool in Boulder while commuting to the mountains for work, waking up at 4 a.m. to prepare for the drive.
A Long Commute Finally Ends
LaForge received a spot at the Explorers Learning Center last month and said the new center has made a major difference for her family. Her experience echoes a broader pattern CBS Colorado describes across the region: mountain communities have faced historically limited child care availability for years.
That shortage traces back at least to the closure of Gilpin County's Eagle's Nest Early Learning Center at the end of 2023, which left the area without licensed care for children younger than 2½, according to the Boulder Daily Camera. TEENS, Inc. says the opening of infant care at the new center will mark Nederland's first-ever availability of child care for infants.
Built for Stability, Not Just Space
TEENS, Inc. director Stephen LeFaiver said the center aims to provide greater stability for families and the broader school community, according to CBS Colorado. LeFaiver added that the nonprofit's involvement increases stability across the school environment and improves the facility's chance of succeeding. He also described a playground designed with trails for strider bikes and sand pits.
The center has achieved a Level 4 Program Quality Rating through Colorado's Shines early learning rating system, and it holds fiscal agreements with both Boulder and Gilpin counties' Colorado Child Care Assistance Program, according to teensinc.org. TEENS, Inc. says it will not turn away families unable to afford the full cost of care and is raising additional money to offset expenses and keep the center accessible. The nonprofit's website also notes that donations designated for the center are eligible for Colorado's Child Care Contribution Tax Credit, which covers 50% of a qualifying contribution on top of standard state and federal deductions.
Part of a Statewide Squeeze
Nederland's expansion arrives amid a child care crunch playing out across Colorado. Nearly 14,000 children statewide are on waitlists for care, and 34% of Colorado parents have turned down a job or quit because they could not find child care, according to CPR News. Those disruptions cost Colorado businesses between $2.7 billion and $3.3 billion in lost productivity, the outlet reports, while center-based infant care in the state averages $21,000 a year and child care teachers earn between $16.70 and $20.60 an hour. Colorado offers universal preschool for 4-year-olds, but the same CPR News report notes there is no equivalent statewide program for children from birth to age 3.
Other mountain and rural communities have pursued their own fixes. In Montrose, the city opened a 50-child center in May through a city-led effort funded partly by a voter-approved lodging tax that dedicates 17% of new revenue to early childhood, according to a separate CPR News report. That center runs from 6:30 a.m. to 6:30 p.m. to match workers' schedules and prioritizes city employees, first responders and partner-organization staff, with a 20% discount for city workers. Regional leaders quoted by CPR News say availability has improved in places like Montrose, but affordability remains unresolved.
