A groundbreaking partnership: Vail Valley Foundation begins construction on new early child care facility in Avon

Construction began Monday on the early childhood educational facility in Avon that represents a pioneering partnership between the Vail Valley Foundation and the town, with help from Eagle County and other partners.

The 13,590-square-foot facility, which will accommodate 165 children under the age of 5, is a step toward addressing the known early childhood education shortage in Eagle County.

“All of us in elected office that represent this community, and many other communities, hear from our constituents all the time that the cost of living and the availability of child care is one of the reasons why they can’t stay in this valley,” said state Sen. Dylan Roberts. “I know the Vail Valley Foundation has been working incredibly hard to solve that problem, and this is what that looks like.”

‘A meaningful step toward real and lasting solutions’

Monday’s groundbreaking ceremony drew a large crowd, including Roberts, all three county commissioners, five of the seven Avon Town Council members, several donors who are making the project possible, and members of Eagle County’s early childhood education world.

“Today is truly a proud moment, not only for me personally, but, I believe, for all of us,” said Johannes Faessler, Vail Valley Foundation board executive committee member and chair of the community involvement committee. “For as long as I can remember, I have experienced firsthand the deep challenges we face around child care and early childhood learning in the Eagle River Valley. It’s a crisis that affects families, businesses, and the very future of our valley. But today, we take a meaningful step toward real and lasting solutions.”

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The unique public-private partnership has been in the works for over two years, and the history of the Vail Valley Foundation’s effort to bring a state-of-the-art early child care facility to Eagle County goes back much further.

“This really is a dream come true for me. A dream that a few of us had 10 or 15 years ago as members of the Youth Foundation,” said Steve Coyer, a Vail Valley Foundation board executive committee member.

The Youth Foundation was renamed YouthPower365 in 2016.

“This school represents the power of regional cooperation,” said Avon Mayor Tamra Nottingham Underwood. “It really does take a village to meet the needs of the entire valley.”

The facility was designed by Zehren and Associates and will be built by RA Nelson, with a targeted opening in fall 2026. The facility will be fully electric, with energy provided by incorporated photovoltaic solar panels with battery storage capacity donated by Active Energies Solar and SolarStrap. 

“We don’t really live in the world of development, but wow, it takes a long time and a lot of work to get here,” said Vail Valley Foundation President Mike Imhof. “It is a great example of what this community can do when (local) government and county government and businesses and nonprofits come together and identify a problem, and then they all look to find a solution.”

Access Early Education Foundation, a Western Slope-based early childhood education organization founded by Jennifer Knott, will provide the educational services.

Vail Valley Foundation fundraises toward $13.5 million goal

Eagle County supported the facility with a $1 million contribution and planned future support through potential stipends for teachers.

“The county has a long history of investing in early childhood. We’ve had more than $1 million a year in programs and investments for our smallest children, and we were really happy to be able to participate with a $1 million contribution,” said Commissioner Jeanne McQueeney. “That has a lot to do with the voter-approved lodging tax that raised a good bit of money for our community in early childhood. We hope to not only be able to build this center but also staff it.”

The county’s lodging tax, approved by voters in 2022, provides a monthly stipend to early childhood educators.

Avon provided the Vail Valley Foundation with a 50-year lease for the 2.5 to 3 acres of land for $1, along with $800,000 in financial contributions and incentives.

“If it weren’t for (the Avon Town Council and Town Manager Eric Heil), $7 million worth of land for a $1 lease, for 50 years, almost $1 million in financial contribution, as well — they are the reason this is happening today,” Imhof said.

The facility will include infant, toddler, preschool and multipurpose rooms and be open from 7:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Monday through Friday, according to the land lease.

Twenty-four of the center’s 165 spots will be designated for children of town employees and town officials, as well as for children of Avon residents and owners and employees of businesses located within the town. Some other spaces are designated for employees of certain Eagle County businesses, and the rest will be available to the public.

A board-directed tuition assistance fund will cover 50% or more of tuition costs for 32 spots for families that need it.

The facility will cost an estimated $13.5 million to build, which the Vail Valley Foundation has been working hard to raise.

“We are not just building a center. We are building, I believe, a model for the future,” Faessler said. “A model that will support working families, strengthen our community and our economy, and will deliver high-quality early childhood education that will be financially sustainable and accessible to all.”

For more information about the facility, visit VVF.org.