Solving The Childcare Equation

As one of the largest employers in Routt County, Steamboat Ski & Resort Corp. is taking leading steps to begin to solve the childcare crisis in Routt County. Steamboat Ski Resort Corp. opened an employer-based childcare facility in December 2022. Steamboat is one of only a handful of ski resorts to offer this crucial benefit to parents employed by the resort and is one of eight Colorado businesses selected to participate in a one-of-a-kind design lab for employer-based early childhood education centers through Executives Partnering to Invest in Children (EPIC) which guide the development process. Additionally, Steamboat was awarded an Employer Based Child Care facility grant by the Colorado Department of Human Services. Steamboat was one of only 10 recipients statewide and the only ski resort to receive the grant which funds organizations that have created a childcare facility specifically for its employees. Providing spaces for resort staff children is expected to free up to 35 childcare spaces within Routt County, which is considered a childcare desert by the Colorado Office of Early Childhood.