Denver Preschool Program and ULC Collaborate on Incorporating Early Childhood Programs into Developments
At the Urban Land Conservancy, we strive to promote collaboration and the benefits of a shared space mentality. This can be seen through many of our endeavors, including the co-founding of Denver Shared Spaces with the Denver Office of Strategic Partnerships. ULC also owns multiple nonprofit facilities across Metro Denver that are leased to nonprofits at below market rental rates in an effort to create collaborative shared spaces. Examples include the Tramway Nonprofit Center, Curtis Park Nonprofit Center, Mountain View Nonprofit Tower and the Social Enterprise Foundry.
One of our closest – and most successful – shared space ventures is right here in our office. Known collectively as “Common Roots”, ULC has shared an office space with the Denver Preschool Program since 2010. Our common roots originated from the shared vision of the Piton Foundation who was instrumental in the inception of each organizations. As both organizations grew in size, the choice to move into a larger collaborative space was intentional. Ellen Braun, the Communications Director for the Denver Preschool Program (DPP), believes the two organizations are interwoven in their overall missions.
“The Denver Preschool Program and Urban Land Conservancy are excellent examples of two great missions colliding,” Braun said. “And I believe we are both fortunate in the community ties and support we provide for one another.”
In the six years that we have shared a space, DPP has only continued to grow. First approved by Denver voters in 2006, and then renewed in 2014, they have provided over $67 million in tuition support for preschoolers, and seen the participation of over 36,000 4-year-olds. DPP’s mission is fairly straightforward: to provide a quality preschool education for every 4-year-old in Denver regardless of his or her income or neighborhood. Their mission highlights the understanding that a solid preschool education is the foundation for improved learning skills in kindergarten and beyond.
Braun explained that DPP receives funding through Denver’s city sales tax, which equates to .15% on the dollar. The majority of this funding goes directly towards tuition credits, and is available to any Denver family with a 4-year-old. This equates about 70% of DPP’s budget, and averaged $303 per month per child during the 2014-2015 school year. Braun also explained that DPP offers families more money to send their child to a higher quality preschool, simply because quality of education matters. Preschool matters.
While their primary focus is ensuring that children receive quality education regardless of their background, DPP is pursing additional endeavors as well. Chris Miller is the Director of Quality, and his focus along with 10% of DPP’s budget, is to improve the quality of participating preschools. It is Miller’s job to ensure that all school’s affiliated with DPP are provided with professional development training, individualized coaching support and updated class curriculum. Miller explained that DPP is committed to providing quality improvement programs to ensure students receive the best education possible.
“Preschool directors and teachers tirelessly work long hours because they care deeply about providing quality care and education to the children at their school,” Miller said. “DPP is committed to supporting their amazing work by helping fund the resources it takes to create high-quality learning environments.”
Recently, ULC and DPP co-hosted a roundtable meeting to discuss the opportunity and need for child care facilities to be incorporated into the first floor commercial space of mixed-use developments, specifically affordable housing developments. This successful collaboration between ULC and DPP with support from Mile High Connects brought together ECE providers and developers to talk about how to maximize benefits of transit oriented developments (TOD). The roundtable sparked a lot of interest by both industries as we are all interested in providing equitable development in the Denver region.
A very real issue for many low-income families is the proximity of childcare facilities, lack of affordable housing and lack of nearby transit options. David Collins, the Director of Operations at DPP explained that there are many childcare deserts throughout the Denver metro area. Parts of town where the number of preschoolers greatly outweighs the number of childcare facilities. But with the ideas that circulated at the ECE roundtable, a solution might be right around the corner.
“The idea is designed to bring developers and early childhood investors together to discuss building licensed childcare facilities in the retail space of mixed use developments,” Collins said. “And with the working group we are developing to bring together various experts, we feel pretty hopeful.”
If you are interested in being a part of a working group dedicated to creating a blueprint on how to successfully incorporate childcare and early education programs into TODs, please contact Christi Smith at csmith@urbanlandc.org.
While this is still only in the discussion phase, we hope to see this vision soon become a reality. Due to the high level of interest from the development community, childcare providers and the philanthropic community, ULC will be creating a working group to focus on the future of ECE and mixed-use developments in Denver. We will be looking to the local and national level for examples, collecting data, reaching out to developers and eventually creating a financial blueprint to help finalize any future deals.
As a community partner, neighbor and copier rental partner, ULC is excited and proud to see all of the work DPP does for children in the Denver area. We promise to always pay our portion of the electricity bill, always remember to change out the paper towels and to never leave the pot of coffee empty. Thanks for six great years together!