Expanded ECE in Jeopardy
Originally Published in the The Mountain Ear “Letters to the Editor” on 4/24/2024.
Dear Editor,
TEENS, Inc. has a long history of stepping up to serve the needs of the community. This is evident through the creation of the teen center and the development of Peak to Peak Soccer, Chinook West High School for teens who struggle in traditional school settings, and most recently, in 2019 New Explorers Learning Center (NELC) was established when the only year round preschool options were set to go out of business.
It quickly became clear that the need for care was greater than the limited spaces available at NELC. Having only one year round preschool option and absolutely no infant and toddler care is creating incredible hardship for families and having a detrimental impact on the greater community. In fact, we currently have over 70 families on the wait / interest list for NELC. After nearly a year of deliberation among the TEENS, Inc. Board of Directors, they decided that it was time to step up and make something happen to address the childcare crisis in our community.
On October 3, 2023, TEENS, Inc. approached the Nederland Town Board of Trustees with a proposal to lease the vacant Old Town Shop Site (750 W. 5th St) for $1 / year and TEENS, Inc. would build a state of the art early childhood education center to serve the community now and into the future. TEENS, Inc. would not own the land and if in the unlikely situation that something were to happen where TEENS, Inc. could not run the preschool the brand new building would become the town’s building to be used for public good.
Expanded childcare options in the region will have innumerable benefits. Among them:
Parent and child mental health;
Economic impact;
School enrollment;
Job creation;
Education - both for the children the center serves and for youth apprenticeships
After six public meetings and a unanimous approval from the BOT, all of this is in serious jeopardy as a few citizens were successful at gaining the required 67 signatures to challenge the Special Review Use agreement. On May 7, the BOT will be considering this referendum petition and have two options on the table: 1) Accept the petition and end any hope of having expanded preschool options at the Old Town Shop Site; 2) Send the issue to the community for a vote through a special election.
The community has an opportunity to address an urgent need. TEENS, Inc. is ready, willing and able to leverage its support, partnerships and reputation to make it happen. Buildable land in the right spot is the missing piece. The proposed location and partnership with the town can make it happen. No other viable option currently exists.
After six public meetings, numerous Facebook posts and letters to the editor, articles in both the Daily Camera and Mt. Ear, more than 80 letters of support from the community, and a unanimous approval from the BOT, it is unfortunate that the community is in the situation where this issue may go to a costly special election or be outright denied. TEENS, Inc. encourages the BOT to send it to an election. Yet, as history has proven, you can never be certain of the outcome of an election.
At this very moment, we are getting numerous emails from parents stating, “I put my son/daughter on the waitlist a couple years ago and we are finally ready and hoping there is a spot.” Here is our copy and paste response, “I am sorry about the situation you and the community are in. We are doing all we can to create more childcare spots but that is not going to happen until we open a new building. Unfortunately, the chance for this coming year is very slim. Please do not count on having a spot at NELC. I am sorry.”
That is the situation we are in and the situation we will continue to be in if the community cannot come up with a solution. If you have any thoughts, questions or concerns, please reach out. I want to talk with you and hear what you have to say. My email is stephen@teensinc.org.
To find out more about TEENS, Inc., please look around our website.
Stephen LeFaiver
Executive Director
TEENS, Inc.
