Local Financing Leadership: Lodging Taxes and Early Childhood Education in La Plata County
Monday, June 2 | 12:00 – 1:30 p.m.
In November 2024, La Plata County voters approved a ballot measure that would make lodging tax funds available for housing and child care needs. Knowing that lodging tax funds are an insufficient resource to solve many child care challenges on their own, local leaders created the La Plata County Early Childcare Strategic Investment Plan, which seeks to leverage the lodging tax funds for catalytic change.
Learn how city, housing, economic development, and child care leaders came together through this campaign and hear how your community could learn from their efforts.
Presenters include:
• Sarah Tober, La Plata Economic Development Alliance
• Heather Hawk, La Plata County Early Childhood Council
• Cass Walker Harvey, Consultant
Register for webinar: https://us06web.zoom.us/meeting/register/WW0NhZ8qSmqK_rKYjlUsFQ
Innovations at the Intersection of Child Care, Housing, and Impact Investing:
Rural Homes Early Childhood Initiative and Mission Driven Finance
Tuesday, June 10 | 12:00 – 1:30 p.m.
Hear from local and national leaders who are pioneering an affordable housing/family child care solution in Ouray County. Rural Homes Early Childhood Initiative (RHECI) simultaneously addresses housing and child care shortages by integrating new affordable home construction with family child care operations. RHECI tested this model as a pilot project by including two units designed for optimal child care operations. Child care provider occupants were recruited through the local child care council, which ran an accelerator program that provided potential Family Child Care Home Providers with the tools to start stable businesses.
Mission Driven Finance (MDF) is a key partner in this initiative. MDF’s Care Access Real Estate (CARE) purchased both family child care home units in Ouray. Utilizing a real estate investment trust (REIT) structure, they seek to blend philanthropic, government, and private capital to make investing in child care infrastructure a smart investment. CARE purchases, renovates, and leases a national portfolio of commercial and residential properties specifically designed for child care.
As a child care-friendly landlord, they are committed to expanding existing quality child care and supporting center- and home-based providers in achieving their dreams. They are a compelling investment for impact investors with a current grant from Colorado Trust, Gates Family Foundation, Caring for Colorado, and the Buell Foundation to determine if expanding across Colorado is feasible.
Presenters include:
• Sheamus Croke, Rural Homes
• Paul Major, Rural Homes
• Kathleen Merritt, Bright Futures
• Laura Kohn, Mission Driven Finance
Register for webinar: https://us06web.zoom.us/meeting/register/VjxGtMO7SEi4MdEHpkFwgQ
Questions? Contact Jason Callegari: jcallegari@buellfoundation.org
To access previous local financing webinars, Buell’s Early Childhood Local Financing Toolkit, and the associated open funding opportunity, click here.
