Amid Colorado’s childcare crisis, a nonprofit provider pushes forward for low- and middle-income families

Imagine keeping your cool with 10 crying babies in a classroom. Yes, childcare is hard work and it is crucial to our fast-growing community. “We're not just babysitters, we just don't show up in a warehouse and play with kids all day. The work that we do is essential so that children are ready for school. To enter kindergarten, they're ready at third grade reading levels, and they're ready to graduate high school,” said Anne Lance with Teaching Tree Early Childhood Learning Center, a Larimer County nonprofit that serves low- and middle-income families. It is among the childcare providers navigating a nationwide childcare shortage that is hitting Colorado hard. In The NoCo’s Erin O’Toole visited her at the newly opened Loveland Youth Campus to learn more about how the landscape of care has changed and how the organization is hoping to make a dent in the rising need.