Some of our Daily Post readers may wonder what the fuss is about. Why is child care in Archuleta County even an issue, when the vast majority of our residents do not have any young children…?
Yet our two local governments — Archuleta County and the Town of Pagosa Springs — have been making a concerted effort over the past five years to encourage the growth of the child care industry here, as have numerous financial donors, including private individuals, the state government and Colorado foundations.
Some view the issue primarily through an economic lens. Without accessible child care available to every working parent — or every parent hoping to work — a segment of our workforce will remain at home taking care of young children. Businesses will be challenged to find enough employees, and as a result, wages will increase (City Market is now advertising a starting wage of $19 per hour) and business profits may decrease as a result.
One of the main problems with the economic view is the cost of child care. A typical price for one day of child care is about $40-$55. There are 260 work days in a typical employee’s schedule, which adds up to $10,000 to $14,000 per year… about equivalent to the annual rent on a small one-bedroom apartment. Given the average wage earned by a Pagosa Springs adult of childbearing age, non-subsidized child care can add up to nearly half an employee’s yearly salary. Add the high rents and home costs, and there’s not much left.
This makes non-subsidized child care impractical for a single parent, and barely feasible for a married couple, both working full-time. This is especially true if there happens to be two preschool-age kids in a family. Or, heaven forbid, three.
A 2022 study by Region 9 Economic Development District has identified Pagosa Springs as the most expensive community in southwest Colorado, in last year’s Livable Wage study by the Region 9 Economic Development District, due mainly — according to Region 9 — to the high cost of housing.
From that report:
The 2022 Colorado minimum wage is $12.56 per hour, which amounts to $26,527 per year working full time. We found that in Region 9, Montezuma County is the least expensive ($71,292 annually), and Archuleta County is the most expensive place to live ($92,796 annually) for a family of four. Using housing and childcare costs specific to each community we found that the Town of Pagosa Springs is also the most expensive community in the region for a family of four ($21.97 per hour for each working adult) due to the high cost of housing…
But financial stress is only one part of the problem. According to recent reports, our local child care centers have long waiting lists, because there are not enough ‘slots’ available among our current providers to service the parents who want care. Especially, perhaps, there are not enough ‘subsidized’ slots.
The Town of Pagosa Springs has earmarked $150,000 to help address the shortage of available child care slots, and accepted applications for those funds on March 10. We will likely hear more about that funding at the Town Council meeting next Thursday, March 23. Pagosa Peak Open School — currently serving grades K-8 — put in an application for some of that grant funding, to establish a brand new Universal Preschool program at the school.
Disclosure: I currently serve on the Pagosa Peak Open School Board of Directors as the board secretary. This editorial reflects only my own opinions, and not necessarily the opinions of the Pagosa Peak Open School board as a whole.
If children are going to be served according to their needs, by state and local subsidies, what educational philosophy ought to guide the new programs?
In the case of Pagosa Peak Open School, the Board last night approved a set of ‘Core Value’ that will supposedly guide the educational efforts there for the coming years.
Lifelong Learners
We construct knowledge by taking responsibility for our learning with a growth mindset. Learners seek answers, take risks, reflect, and approach learning with action.
Community
Connection to and pride in our community fuels learning and a sense of place. We build community by practicing empathy, respect and mutual care. We create opportunities for individuals to contribute meaningfully, and forge connections through shared experiences.
Quality and Meaningful Work
Meaningful work is worth doing well and produces confidence and pride. We discover and pursue personal interests, joy, and share our passion and knowledge in the classroom and community. Flexible thinkers value wonder and diverse perspectives; we ask questions and seek answers together. Learning is most powerful in the context of a rich and equitable environment that encourages play and collaboration.
Whole and Healthy Humans
We are at our best when we are healthy, safe and supported. Cultivating awareness of our bodies, minds, and emotions, grounds and connects us. Authenticity is supported by promoting a sense of belonging. We recognize and affirm feelings, notice how words and actions impact others, and respect the need for connection and solitude.
Ambitious goals, to say the least.
A couple of comments about the concept of ‘lifelong learners’.
Here is a story told by an ambitious teacher who had the truth thrown in his face.
First, I found out that all those eager, happy-looking faces sitting before me were masking massive boredom and indifference. Then I found out, they weren’t getting most of what I was saying.
“Here’s an important point,” I would intone with majestic emphasis, “and it provides an insight the textbook doesn’t give.” Alas, to no avail. When the exam papers came back, the textbook version, memorized carefully, was all I ever saw.
I tried harder, read more.My luck did not improve. I found that my colleagues all grappled with the same problem, to the extent they cared at all. Slowly, it dawned on me that students just wouldn’t learn what they did want to learn, no matter how I cavorted before the, cajoled them, or threatened them.
Then I discovered the awful truth, that in fact, we really don’t know how people learn at all…
Colorado’s education industry has been struggling to compel children to meet the government standards imposed by the Colorado Department of Education, but it seems like no matter what policies and practices are proposed by the education bureaucracy in Denver, most children continue to “fail to meet expectations” on the mandated standardized tests in English language and math (Colorado Measures of Academic Success aka CMAS).
According to a 2018 report, only 42% of Colorado sixth graders were reading ‘at grade level’. Only 30% of sixth graders were doing math at grade level. And this was ‘pre-COVID”.
From that report, discussing the CMAS tests:
In recent years, new practices implemented at the Colorado Department of Education have resulted in significant data suppression, limiting our ability to understand how many Colorado students—particularly students of color and students in low-income families—are meeting grade-level expectations on the CMAS.
We might assume that “lifelong learning” would apply to the bureaucrats in Denver. But maybe not?