Healthy Archuleta kicked off its 2026 Growers & Producers Forum with a virtual presentation from Guidestone Colorado, a Salida-based nonprofit that supports community farms and gardens through education, youth engagement, and local food access.
Forum participants learned how Guidestone partners with schools, families, and volunteers to create hands-on growing opportunities, from school gardens that supply cafeteria meals to summer programs, internships, and community garden plots. A key takeaway was the power of shared stewardship: families, students, and residents actively care for garden spaces while gaining access to fresh food and practical growing skills.
Guidestone’s experience operating community gardens on both public and private land highlighted strategies relevant to Archuleta County, including season extension through greenhouses and high tunnels, regenerative soil practices, and year-round adult education in food preservation and herbal remedies. Despite similar short growing seasons, their model shows how coordinated support and community participation can strengthen local food systems.
The discussion sparked ideas for advancing local efforts in Pagosa Springs, especially around community garden engagement, education, and long-term support structures that make growing food accessible and sustainable for more residents.
The Growers & Producers Forum meets bi-monthly from January through May, with sessions resuming in September. Upcoming topics and the April 2026 Food Summit are available at www.foodcoalition4archuleta.org. Healthy Archuleta thanks all who attended and extends appreciation to Maytal Agasi of Guidestone Colorado for sharing practical insights and inspiration.
To learn more about Guidestone Colorado, visit their website at https://guidestonecolorado.org.
Be sure to check our website for more information on upcoming gardening education events in 2026 at https://www.foodcoalition4archuleta.org/. Please also check out our link for the upcoming 2026 Food Summit happening in April here. Thank you to all who attended the Zoom meeting, and thank you to Maytal Agasi from Guidestone Colorado.
Child-Parent Relationship Therapy
Healthy Archuleta is committed to supporting families at every stage of life, building strong families through connection. Parenting young children can be deeply rewarding, but it can also bring moments of stress, uncertainty, and overwhelm. Big emotions, power struggles, and challenges at home are common experiences for families, and Healthy Archuleta wants parents to know they are not alone.
Healthy Archuleta is offering Virtual Child-Parent Relationship Therapy (CPRT), a supportive, play-based program designed for parents of young children, for ages 3 to 10. CPRT focuses on strengthening connection and trust between parents and children while helping parents learn practical, relationship-based skills to respond to challenging behavior with confidence and care.
Unlike traditional parenting programs that emphasize discipline or correction, CPRT centers on the parent-child relationship and uses play, a child’s natural language, as the foundation for understanding and connection. Parents learn new skills in a small, judgment-free group led by trained, bilingual therapists, and practice those skills with their own child through guided “special playtime.” As parents build empathy and attunement, many families can experience reduced stress at home and stronger emotional bonds.
The CPRT group will meet for ten weekly sessions, each lasting 90 minutes. Families will gather at a central location in Pagosa Springs and connect virtually via Zoom with bilingual therapists who facilitate the sessions, creating a supportive space for learning and reflection. Childcare will be available to help reduce barriers to participation. Healthy Archuleta is currently gathering interest from families to confirm scheduling and determine whether the first group will be offered in English or Spanish. Completing the interest form is not a commitment, but it is an important step in helping align family availability with therapist schedules so the program can begin as soon as possible.
Through programs like CPRT, Healthy Archuleta continues its work of strengthening families and fostering resilience across the community. By centering connection, understanding, and support, the organization is helping families build relationships that last.
If you are interested, please complete this interest form: https://forms.gle/BUDgr7J49nYY8GgV8. For more information, please contact Healthy Archuleta at fsfearchuleta@gmail.com. Be sure to check out our website at https://www.foodcoalition4archuleta.org/