 | Nikki Krueger writes her name as preschool teacher Cheri Overstreet looks on at Needham Elementary School in 2018. The La Plata Economic Development Alliance is working with the city of Durango to secure state grant funding to conduct a comprehensive strategy of area child care needs. The study would inform the development of a broader child care investment strategy and entails working with other organizations such as the La Plata Food Equity Coalition and the Early Childhood Council of La Plata County. (Jerry McBride/Durango Herald file) |
Durango Herald | April 6, 2024 | Christian Burney Herald Staff Writer
Child care in La Plata County is expensive and hard to come by, and the lack of access has workers torn between their jobs and their families.
The La Plata Economic Development Alliance is seeking $55,000 in state grant funding to conduct a study that will inform a regional child care investment strategy, and it’s teamed up with the city of Durango to secure the grant.
Durango City Council voted in unison on Tuesday to have Mayor Melissa Youssef sign the economic alliance’s grant application to the Colorado Department of Local Affairs.
The city isn’t putting up any matching grant funds or other money for the project. Rather, it’s agreed to apply to DOLA for the grant on behalf of the alliance.
If the grant is greenlighted, the city will provide quarterly reports to DOLA, Durango Community Development Director Scott Shine said at Tuesday’s City Council meeting.
The grant being sought is the Rural Economic Development Initiative program grant, which is “designed to help rural communities comprehensively diversify their local economy and create a more resilient Colorado,” according to DOLA... continue reading article.