Press Release
Childcare Services Available for Children of Essential Workers
ASPEN, CO. – March 24, 2020 –Kids First, in partnership with Pitkin County Human Services, Eagle County Human Services, Aspen Valley Hospital, and local childcare programs, is working to match available childcare staff with children of “essential” healthcare and emergency response employees in our community.
Childcare programs in Pitkin County are closed to the general public in order to reduce the spread of COVID-19 and to keep children, families, and staff healthy. We know there is a need for childcare services for “essential” healthcare and emergency response employees. This team is working with qualified childcare staff to meet that need on an individual basis.
Who is covered? The emergency program is meant to target and serve the children of the employees who are most essential to containing and treating the virus and protecting our most vulnerable populations and those keeping essential services in the community running.
• Health care operations.
• Critical Infrastructure, including utilities, fuel supply and transmission, public water, telecommunications, transportation, hotels, organizations that provide for disadvantaged people, and food supply chain.
• Critical Manufacturing, including food, beverages, chemicals, medical equipment, pharmaceuticals, sanitary products, agriculture.
• Critical Retail, including grocery stores, liquor stores, farms, gas stations, restaurants and bars for takeout, marijuana dispensaries but only for medical or curbside delivery, hardware stores.
• Critical Services, including trash and recycling, mail, shipping, laundromats, childcare, building cleaning and maintenance, auto supply and repair, warehouses/distribution, funeral homes, crematoriums, cemeteries, animal shelters and rescues.
• News Media.
• Financial Institutions.
• Providers of Basic Necessities to Economically Disadvantaged Populations.
• Construction.
• Defense.
• Public Safety Services like law enforcement, fire prevention and response, EMTs, security, disinfection, cleaning, building code enforcement, snow removal, auto repair.
• Vendors that Provide Critical Services or Products including logistics, childcare, tech support, or contractors with critical government services.
• “Critical Government Functions.”
If you qualify in one of these categories, please contact Kids First – 970-920-5363 or emergencychildcare@cityofaspen.com. Kids First staff will put you in touch with a childcare staff person, available to care for your children, in your home.
Please also complete this survey from the Colorado Childcare Collaborative https://covidchildcarecolorado.com/parent-survey-home/ to register your need.
If you are a childcare teacher, please also contact Kids First to be added to the list of available care providers.
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