Hickenlooper holds childcare affordability roundtable in GJ

By NATHAN DEAL

Nathan.Deal@gjsentinel.com

U.S. Sen. John Hickenlooper sat down for a roundtable Tuesday morning with Grand Valley parents and leaders to gather their perspectives on childcare, feedback that can inform his policy aims back in Washington.

After a tour of the Confluence Center of Colorado, 2596 Dos Rios Dr., to learn about some of its tenants (such as EUREKA! McConnell Science Museum and its STREAM Preschool program), Hickenlooper fielded comments from just under 20 people who either have kids enrolled in STREAM, oversee county or city services, or lead community organizations.

The topic was childcare affordability, especially as the Colorado Child Care Assistance Program (CCAP) — a program designed to assist families with childcare costs — remains frozen in Mesa County as directed by the Trump administration.

Colorado Mesa University Biology Professor Patrice Connors said she makes about $70,000 a year, of which $14,000 goes toward childcare costs for her two children. She said this is 15-20% of the combined income of her and her husband. Because she doesn’t have other family members living in the Grand Valley, childcare costs have proven to be a personal struggle.

Alisha Wenger, the executive director of Community Food Bank whose daughter attends the STREAM program, said that her family pays “three mortgages a month” because of mortgage, health insurance premium and childcare costs combined. She knows that matters are even worse for many of the people she’s come to know through the food bank.

“I see the 1,200 unique individuals we serve through the Community Food Bank and we talked about being able to drop your child off and knowing they’re going to be better when you pick them up, and that is the exception, not the rule,” Wenger said.

STREAM Executive Director Kelsey Petersen Hardie said that the program has aligned with Mesa County Valley School District 51’s schedule to allow for teacher planning days and professional development for the program’s teachers, causing a “constant rub” for families.

Clifton Community Center Learning Director Crisstina Lange said that retention of educators in childcare centers is a challenge, stating, “Most teachers leave the industry for better pay, for benefits. People usually don’t stay around. Most of us leave because we make $15-18 an hour.”

Mesa County Partnership for Children and Families Family Access Supervisor Michelle Reeves spoke about the partnership, which operates under Mesa County Human Services (whose director, Jill Calvert, was also in attendance at the roundtable) and works to strengthen community partnerships to support the holistic development of all local children. She said the program needs to expand but faces funding issues on doing so.

Busy Bees Learning Center Owner Coreen Edwards spoke about her childcare service’s recent struggles, especially amidst the CCAP freeze. Busy Bees had 90 children in the CCAP program last year, and that number has since declined to 74.

“Unfortunately, when I heard CCAP would be frozen, it makes my physically ill. There is no church or program that can take my childcare. I’m so scared to think that people might be leaving children alone in unsafe situations.... Those are the choices I would have if CCAP funding was cut, and it’s just as hard with the freeze on,” Edwards said, adding that people with entry-level jobs simply cannot afford childcare.

Palisade Town Manager Janet Hawkins asked Hickenlooper to support the town’s request for $2 million in congressional direct spending to go toward a resiliency hub. She then handed Hickenlooper a page with extensive details on the hub.

The resiliency hub, which would be located at Peach Bowl Park, would see the addition of a facility to the park’s resources that could house entities such as a private childcare center. This new hub is necessary, Hawkinson said, because the community center is condemned and because the primary daycare in Palisade is located in a building that is up for sale, making its future uncertain.

Heather Nara, the Mesa County Workforce Center’s director, said 176 families have lost CCAP service throughout the county since January 2025.

“Now we pay more per child and our allocation stays the same, therefore we’re serving fewer families,” Nara said. “We’re in this catch-22 that we’re living out right now. How do we create a holistic approach of increasing funding for something sustainable?”

Colorado Sen. John Hickenlooper greets community members Tuesday at the Confluence Center in Grand Junction before a discussion on increasing costs of child care in rural communities.

LARRY ROBINSON/ The Daily Sentinel

Colorado Sen. John Hickenlooper speaks Tuesday with EUREKA! McConnell Science Museum staff at the Confluence Center in Grand Junction during a building tour before a discussion on increasing costs of child care in rural communities with local leaders.

LARRY ROBINSON/ The Daily Sentinel