EARLY CHILDHOOD COUNCIL OF ARCHULETA COUNTY
Children are not things to be molded but are people to be unfolded.
Our mission is to foster and sustain a comprehensive, high-quality, and accessible early childhood system that supports families and the community in order to prepare children for academic and personal success in life.
View our 2023-2024 Year End Report (PDF)
View the 2023 Archuleta County Early Childhood Community Assessment (PDF)
The Office of the Secretary of State recognized the ECCAC as a nonprofit entity in good standing.
The Community Foundation Serving Southwest Colorado is our fiscal agent.
ECCAC LAUNCHES IN 2022
In response to a heightened awareness about the importance of early childhood care and education, a local group banded together in the spring of 2022 to create the first Early Childhood Council of Archuleta County (ECCAC). Until then, Archuleta had the dubious distinction of being the only county in the state not covered by an Early Childhood Council. Marcy Mitchell, Executive Director of Aspire Medical Services and Education and Council President, expressed that the council is charged with “supporting families and the community to prepare children for academic and personal success in life.”
THE IMPORTANCE OF EARLY CHILDHOOD PROGRAMS
Pagosa Springs has an urgent need for early learning and care. A high-quality care network configured around parents’ working lives will benefit children and their families. Scientific evidence clearly shows that high-quality early learning instills protective factors in children over their lifetime, setting the stage for resilient outcomes in times of adversity and providing children with the knowledge and skills they need to succeed in later years.
THE NEED FOR MORE CHILDCARE
ECCAC intends to support emerging and increasing childcare offerings in Archuleta County. Our county is considered a child care desert, meaning that there are currently not enough child care slots available for all children in our community under the age of five. The work of ECCAC includes continual community wide assessment, strategic planning, data collection and monitoring to build and sustain local capacity for improvement of early childhood systems.
