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U.S. Rep. Brittany Pettersen recently announced 15 projects in the 7th Congressional District to expand childcare access, prevent wildfires, and upgrade infrastructure across the state, one of which is based in Fremont County.

According to Pettersen’s office, Community Project Funding allows House representatives to submit up to 15 projects for federal funding consideration, and the fact that Fremont County has recently become a childcare desert landed it on the list of proposals.

Pettersen is proposing the creation of the Colorado Department of Corrections Fremont County Childcare Center at the former Santilli’s Child Care and Preschool building at 505 Del Rey Ave.

“We’re preparing to move forward and do our best to advocate,” Pettersen said. “We’re looking at breaking ground in 2026 … but that’s just an estimate.”

According to the proposal, $1,500,000 from the Office of Rural Development as part of the USDA would be used to rehabilitate the former preschool building.

“The project is an appropriate use of taxpayer funds because of the severe childcare shortage in Fremont County. With a growing population of young children and a median income of $32,259, affordable childcare options are scarce. The CDOC, in partnership with local organizations, aims to alleviate this burden by providing essential childcare services, supporting working families, and fostering early childhood development,” read the proposal.

Click to access fns_-_cdoc_fremont_county_childcare_.pdf

“Childcare has been one of her top legislative priorities,” said a childcare staffer. “This year, we were really thrilled when we received community funding applications that aligned with it…The idea, generation, and the planning really happens at the community level. And we advocate for the funding.”

According to ECHO and Family Center’s 2024 Early Child Care Assessment Report, a childcare desert is defined as “a census tract with at least 50 children under the age of 5, and either has a waiting list to access childcare services with three or more children vying for one spot or no child care center.”

The report goes on to note that Fremont County follows national trends about access to childcare in rural areas, where geographic distances, limited transportation options, affordability, and a scarcity of childcare workers hinder the availability of childcare options.

Although Fremont County families have felt the childcare pinch for many years, the closure of Bright Beginnings Learning Center in Florence and Santilli’s Child Care and Preschool in Cañon City in 2024 has resulted in further strain on an already understaffed and overwhelmed system.

The proposal, along with the other projects submitted by Pettersen, will be introduced to the House of Representatives in September and, if approved, will be passed and signed into existence as early as Sept. 30.

“It’s really all contingent on the annual appropriations process,” the staffer said.

Should the proposal be approved, the funds would be administered to the Department of Corrections, which would serve as the manager of the funds and project, while also collaborating with experts from the Cañon City School District and the Echo & Family Center Early Childhood Council to establish a lasting childcare facility.

Though the project is still in its infancy, assuming it’s approved by Congress, the facility would be rehabilitated in several phases, though no further details regarding the number of children it may take are available at this time.

“It’s really important to highlight the need for funding in these areas,” Pettersen said. “This is going to have an impact on childcare across Colorado.