“A Place For Kids” Dream Hits Jackpot
Rick Langenberg
A community dream for nearly a decade, involving a plethora of task forces, a slew of local meetings, a number of consultant studies and hours of lobbying, has finally hit paydirt.
Next Tuesday (Sept. 9), the town of Cripple Creek and the entire southern Teller County region will celebrate the official groundbreaking of the first phase of “A Place for Kids,” a full-fledged, $5 million childcare center that eventually will have the capability of handling more than 100 kids and young toddlers. It will come equipped with classrooms, meeting areas, a commercial kitchen, a reception hub, a quiet room and even a children’s museum. The celebration, which will feature a score of community leaders and key adult players and young people involved with “A Place For Kids, will occur at the project site at 142 West Bennett Avenue, adjacent to the Aspen Mine Center West facility, at 2 p.m.
For many, including representatives of the Aspen Mine Center and Community of Caring, the project has nearly turned into a mission. “We have been working on this since 2019,” estimated Lisa Noble, the director of fundraising and development for the Aspen Mine Center.” In the process, she estimates they have boasted quite a hefty lineup of task force members and key project proponents. “It is great how this project has come together,” added Noble, who was involved earlier with the community’s Build A Generation project.
And like most projects in Cripple Creek, the childcare venture has endured nine-plus lives and endured its share of setbacks. A real turning point emerged when the project landed a $1 million grant from the state’s Department of Local Affairs.
Leaders of the Aspen Mine Center and Community of Caring, the main group that has led the childcare charge, say they have secured enough funding to finance the entire first phase, with a price tag of close to $2.5 million. In fact, if a number of their pending grants come through, Noble contends that they could probably have enough funds to finance the entire project.
A number of key nonprofit foundations have expressed an interest in opening up their pocketbooks towards the childcare effort in Cripple Creek. And Congresswoman Brittany Pettersen, who represents the 7th Congressional District, encompassing Teller County, is pushing for legislation that would provide the childcare center with an additional $1 million-plus in funding. This is part of a major appropriations bill aimed at facilitating community projects within the district.
Noble stated that all community residents are invited to the groundbreaking and noted they won’t be disappointed. “Whenever the Community of Caring is involved, it gets pretty entertaining,” she quipped.
On a more serious note, she said the group is thankful for the support the project has generated. No community project attempted in recent years has achieved the level of support that the A Place For Kids project experienced. This is mainly due to the desperate need for a largescale childcare center in the Cripple Creek/Victor district to fill a void that has remained lurking for years. Private ventures aimed at developing a community daycare center just never panned out. “The community deserves this,” said Noble, in an earlier interview, when the project stated to gain momentum at the end of 2024 and the beginning of 2025. “Our families deserve a safe place for their kids.”
From the get-go, the project has been touted as a venture that would help provide vital services for all phases of the workforce, including casino and mining employees, teachers, firefighters, police officers, government workers and small business owners.
Noble cited the project as key components of the region’s development push to diversify its economy and offer more services. “You cannot have a sound economic development plan (for the community) without childcare. That is the crux of the issue,” added Noble.
Compromise on Reduced Size
In order to start the building process, project proponents had to scale back some of their design plans and footprint pursuits without losing any essential services. As a result, the first phase will encompass a facility of about 7,000 square feet, which entails an approximate 4,000-foot reduction of what was originally planned for phase one. The elements of the facility that will remain deal with the design aesthetics that are visible on Bennett Avenue.
Ted Borden, the executive director of Community of Caring, outlined their scaled-back plans before the city council in a meeting late last month. The city has served as the project’s fiscal agent and has played an essential part of the equation by footing the bill for needed infrastructure.
The first phase will still allow the facility to serve close to 60 kids at one time and feature three or four classrooms. It will be open five days a week, for 11 hours per day, initially.
As a result, Community of Caring is not committing to a 24/7 operation initially. And based on community feedback they received from an open house forum at the CC/V High School, most residents aren’t keen on that option either. Borden said more interest was relayed in having extended hours at certain times.
“We probably will be involved in overseeing the project in some capacity,” admitted Noble. At the same time, both Noble and Borden say Community of Caring does not want to get into the daycare business.
Through multi-year process, Noble cited Patty Waddle, the group’s main childcare center consultant, as a big facilitator. Waddle has been involved in a number of projects in the area, such as Head Start. “Patty has been with us since the beginning. She has been a big help,” related Noble.
The groundbreaking is just one community effort to support A Place for Kids. A fund-raising gala will occur in mid-October.
A pressing timeclock is one reality facing Community of Caring in handling A Place For Kids. As part of the conditions for the center’s major state grant, the project must be completed by the end of 2026. The Community of Caring leaders are optimistic about meeting this goal.
