Childcare is on the way for city employees

Now we know what it will look like

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I've covered a handful of local governments in very different locales... ....and there's a few things that always seem to come up. Housing. Childcare. Pay for public employees. Basically, the question of how the teachers, firefighters, and municipal employees a city needs to function will actually be able to afford to live in that place. When I covered Miami Beach, most simply couldn't. I didn't live their either. Montrose is different. Many of our public employees DO live here, as do I. But, housing and childcare are still some of the biggest barriers to doing so, and reasons people may move out of the city, decline a job here or leave the one they have, or not settle down here at all. For the last year, I've been reporting on the city's efforts to start an employer-funded childcare center. City officials have identified the lack of childcare as a reason they struggle to recruit and retain employees, and they're hoping this benefit will solve that problem and free up space in other community childcare centers. They're closing in on an opening day, set tentatively for March, and yesterday's paper provides the most detailed look we have at what the operation will look like. At last week's City Council meeting, an agreement was approved with Access Early Education Foundation to operate the facility day-to-day. City staff will get first dibs and discounted tuition, and the remaining spots will be opened up to public and quasi-public organizations, and then to the general public. Check out our website or yesterday's paper for the full update. Cheers, Kylea from the newsrooom

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'It's a real investment in our community': City approves operator for childcare facility, fleshes out details Montrose's city-owned childcare facility could welcome students as soon as March, and last week city staff and council members fleshed out the details and approved an agreement with Access Early Education Foundation to operate the facility. Read More It begins: MHS heads into postseason with matchup against Ponderosa For a big chunk of the regular season, the Montrose softball team has been thinking about the playoffs. Read More Class is in session: Cultivating Farmers and Ranchers that Thrive courses teach producers, food entrepreneurs how to grow their business Our local farmers, ranchers and other producers already know how to do what they do. In fact, said Cally Hale of the Valley Food Partnership, "They're a cornerstone of our economy." Read More

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