New Report and Resource: Reflections from Grand County, La Plata County, and the City of Montrose on their Lodging Tax Success

In the Buell Foundation’s continued local financing and lodging tax initiative efforts that are part of last year’s release of  Supporting Families, Children, and the Caregiving Workforce: A Local Financing Toolkit for Colorado, we have a new resource to share: 2024 Local Ballot Measure After-Action Review: Reflections from Grand County, La Plata County, and the City of Montrose On Their Lodging Tax Success.

According to a 2024 Council for a Strong America report, in Colorado, 64% of families with children ages five and under have all available parents in the workforce. And families with an infant and a four-year-old are paying on average 38% of their household income on child care. Our care system is currently too costly for parents, and yet the true cost of care is subsidized by the low wages provided to the early childhood education workforce.

The report  features local communities that are rolling up their sleeves, raising revenue, and funding solutions that leverage their unique assets and resources to create a better-supported and more well-functioning child care system. It is our hope that sharing lessons learned and stories of success from local communities will light the way for the level of investment necessary to achieve Colorado’s vision.

Special thanks and appreciation to Hopeful Consulting for the work of interviewing local leaders and bringing this important information to other Colorado communities that stand to benefit from lessons learned. And we are grateful for the stakeholders featured who shared their experiences.

Read more about our Early Childhood Local Financing Toolkit, additional resources, and the associated open funding opportunity.