ROARING FORK BROADCASTING COMPANY
A new preschool will open in Basalt this fall under the Blue Lake Preschool umbrella and provide options for families seeking infant care.
Blue Lake Preschool at Stott’s Mill will be licensed for 50 children, with the majority of the spaces for infants and toddlers under 2½ years old. The other spaces will be for preschoolers 2½ to up to 6 years old.
Blue Lake Preschool Executive Director Michelle Oger said the expanded preschool opportunities still won’t satisfy the demand. During the Great Recession, the waiting lists at various preschool facilities eased because so many people were out of work and could care for their kids, she said. That quickly changed back to a familiar scene.
“I would say every year since then, since 2010, it’s gotten worse and worse,” Oger said of demand. “I would say we receive two or three inquiries a day from people who are moving to the area or people who just found out they’re having a baby.”
In many cases, parents take whatever days a preschool can offer to try to get a foot in the door, Oger said. The family may desire five days of preschool but can only get two or three days, for example. She has no doubt that the new facility’s availability will fill quickly.
“The nice thing about Stott’s Mill is we are doing a lot of infant and toddler care there, which is the biggest shortage in the valley,” she said. “There’s not a whole lot of infant and toddler care. So that building will have four classrooms — one infant room, two toddler rooms and one preschool room.”
The opportunity for a new child care center was the result of multi-entity cooperation. When the Stott’s Mill residential development went through the town of Basalt’s land-use review process, the council approval came with a condition that the developer provide a 4,000-square-foot shell for child care space. Once it was constructed, the town put out a request for proposals for potential operators. No organization bit.
Town staff kept searching, at the insistence of the council. Blue Lake and the Basalt Education Foundation eventually expressed interest, but the foundation later pulled out.
Oger said she and the Blue Lake board of directors decided to pursue a project of their own, despite challenges. They feared the site would be used for housing rather than child care if they didn’t step up.
One of the challenges was the size. Ideally, the site would be slightly larger to accommodate five classrooms rather than four, she said.
“We were shooting for five classrooms because financially it makes better sense if you can have two preschool rooms,” Oger said. “The more preschool kids you can have to offset the low ratios in the infant and toddler room obviously helps and being a nonprofit organization that’s what we’re shooting for.”
In addition to available space, the expense of finishing the interior space was daunting. Pitkin County and the town of Basalt eased that concern by applying for a grant through the Colorado Department of Early Childhood. They were awarded a $800,000 grant with the provision that at least $300,000 in local matching funds be provided. Pitkin County kicked in $250,000 while Basalt added $50,000. That will cover the estimated $1.1 million expense for building out the interior. In addition, Basalt will provide the space at a favorable rental rate with a sublease to Blue Lake.
Oger said Blue Lake is responsible for funding the furnishings and equipment required by a child care — from tables and chairs to puzzles and cribs. They aim to raise about $200,000 to furnish and equip the Stott’s Mill site.
Meanwhile, the nonprofit organization also needs funds to add classrooms at its Little Blue Preschool in Carbondale and building improvements at its facility at Blue Lake subdivision in El Jebel. Blue Lake Preschool is hosting a fundraising event on April 5 called “Sip. Savor. Support.” It will be held from 6-10 p.m. at The Arts Campus at Willits. Activities include dancing to music by a DJ, prize drawings, a silent auction as well as drinks and tastings. Tickets are $35 in advance or $40 at the door. Tickets can be purchased online at bluelakepreschool.org/donate/sip-savor-support-2024/.
Oger said the goal is to have the Stott’s Mill facility opened sometime in September. Construction is supposed to start any day. The 4,000-square-foot space will include an office, teachers’ break room and a small kitchen to prepare breakfast and snacks as well as the four classrooms.