Child Care Centers

Approximately 800 children under the age of five live in Grand County. Of these 800 children, about 350 up to age five attend child care or preschool in a licensed setting.

There are nine licensed centers/preschools and ten licensed, family childcare homes from Winter Park to Kremmling. Child care centers provide a setting similar to school, many with multiple classrooms where children are typically grouped by age. Family child care homes provide a homelike setting with a smaller group of mixed-age children. Children who do not participate in licensed care are often cared for by family, friends, and neighbors.

Regardless of where young children spend the majority of their time, a quality environment is important for their development. Research shows that learning begins at birth and 85% of a person’s intellect, personality, and social skills are developed by the age of five. Children who receive high quality child care have significantly better math and reading skills, are more than twice as likely to go to a four-year college, and, on average, have their first child later than their peers.

Grand Beginnings, a local non-profit organization working towards better child care in our community, places the young child and family at the center of its work. It focuses on four areas: early learning, family support and education, health care, and social emotional/mental health.

It helps parents find quality child care and other services as well as learn more about how children develop. It works with childcare programs to help recruit, develop, and retain qualified staff.
If you are looking for child care, thinking about becoming a licensed provider, or wanting to support local early childhood, then please contact Grand Beginnings at (970) 725-3391 or visit www.grandbeginnings.org.

Tips for Parents

• Children are ready to learn sooner than you may think. Provide a great start for your preschooler through play.
• Children of all ages love to play and it gives them opportunities to learn and grow.  Through play children learn self regulation of emotions, how to interact with others, and problem-solving skills - to mention a few.
• Sing songs you remember from your childhood.
• Before you start reading a book, talk about what is happening in the book by looking at the pictures.
• Create a pattern with objects, then have your preschooler repeat it. Fork, spoon, fork, spoon.
• Play games outside. Let their creativity come out.
• As you shop for foods, have your preschooler find certain colors. Red one day, blue another day.

Parent Website Resources
www.vanderbilt.edu/csefel
Promoting the social and emotional development and school readiness of young children from birth to age five.
www.pbs.org
The parents’ link has articles on issues such as finances, nutrition and more.
www.aplaceofourown.org
Message boards for parents and caregivers, activities for the day, how to create developmentally appropriate areas, and topic of the day.
www.zerotothree.org
Follow the parent link. Here you’ll find science-based information and tools designed to help parents and caregivers nurture their young children’s development.

Grand Beginnings’ annual Children’s Fair is held in early May at the East Grand Middle School.  This is a fun and interactive free resource fair for young children and families. See you there!