Eagle River Valley Childcare Initiative

There are approximately 3,000 children ages 0-5 today needing childcare in our Valley. Today, approximately 1,400 children receive childcare through licensed centers; another 850 manage informally through unlicensed friends, family, and neighbors; and roughly 900 children have no viable childcare solution.

To address this critical need, the VVF is piloting the Eagle River Valley Childcare Initiative by building the Lettuce Patch Early Learning Center in Avon, Colorado. This childcare center will be an employer-sponsored, nonprofit center that will provide the highest quality childcare, learning, and development to approximately 165 children in our Valley.

Lettuce Patch Early Learning Center

Set to open fall 2026, the Lettuce Patch Early Learning Center will bring high-quality early childhood education to Avon. The center’s name honors Avon’s agricultural roots as a lettuce farming community in the early 20th century.

This all-electric, 13,595-square-foot facility will serve up to 165 children ages 0-5. The center will feature 12 classrooms and three outdoor playgrounds on 2.9 acres, providing a safe and engaging space for young learners to grow and thrive.

Childcare Tuition Assistance and Staff Housing Assistance Fund

Building new childcare facilities is step one, but new facilities will not work unless access to childcare services are affordable and accessible for our workforce. By creating a $5 million Childcare Tuition Assistance and Staff Housing Assistance Fund, the VVF will ensure that local businesses and the families and caregivers of our community who need it most will have affordable access to childcare, while ensuring attraction and retention of qualified employees.