Voting Results
Five ideas rise to the top after months-long deliberation from the Unify Montrose Assembly. The representative assembly of Montrose residents voted, and five ideas to help solve the local childcare problem received more than two-thirds support.
Earlier this week, Delegates from the Unify Montrose Assembly deliberating on the local childcare issue met for the final time to see the results of their final vote.
Unify Montrose Delegates, randomly selected to reflect the demographics of Montrose County, met from August 27 through November 15, 2023.
First, the group completed three weeks of orientation, including generating and voting on their own ground rules. Then the Delegates deliberated eight actions addressing the Montrose childcare problem. Over 60 initial ideas for actions were first generated by the community, childcare experts, and other communities and were then narrowed to 8 Actions by a volunteer team of local leaders and childcare practitioners. While deliberating, Delegates also suggested 52 improvements to those actions and voted on which to adopt. Improvements that were approved by more than 50% of Delegates were then incorporated into the 8 Actions.
“After hearing feedback from Delegates that they wanted to generate ideas to address the problem, we changed the process and dedicated time for them to do so,” explains Sara Drury, Senior VP of Deliberations from Unify America. “Delegates submitted 24 ideas for action, and these were compiled, with like ideas summarized, into 16 Delegate Ideas. Delegates deliberated and then voted on the 16 Delegate Ideas, as well.”
In November 2023, the voting began. Delegates voted on both the eight Delegate-Improved Actions and the 16 Delegate Ideas.
Delegates on the Unify Montrose Assembly
Three Actions and two Delegate Ideas received over two-thirds of Delegate support. Here are the Delegate-Improved Actions that received over two-thirds of support at some budget level:
Camp Montrose (87% support): A partnership between Montrose youth program providers, childcare centers, and the school district, where they would bring together their various expertise to provide after-school, no-school day, and summer programming for K-8 students.
The Nurture Network (70% support): Coordinates the efforts of local organizations that support family, friends, and neighbor (FFN) caregivers, help those organizations extend their offerings, and market to the community to encourage more FFN providers to get training, and more residents to become providers themselves.
The Early Childhood Education (ECE) Center Upgrade (72% support): Replacing the school district’s trailers with yurts that can serve three- and four-year-olds in Montrose, and would also add yurts at elementary schools as needed. Drop-off times would be early enough and pick-up times late enough that parents can work a full day. A preschool camp would be available at the newly updated Center during the summer.
Here are the Delegate Ideas that received over two-thirds of support that the idea should move forward for further development:
Businesses Incentivized to Create On-Site Childcare Options (81% support): Larger employers (such as the hospital or school district) and groups of businesses in the same location (the Target/Walmart shopping area) would be incentivized to create on-site childcare. These facilities could be physical additions to existing buildings, current spaces in existing buildings, or they could be yurts at a nearby location. The childcare centers could be open to all children in the community, but employees with children from sponsoring employers would receive a discount and could have their tuition automatically deducted from payroll.
Comprehensive Montrose Childcare Resources Website (89% support): Create a single website portal where Montrose residents can access resources and links to local and state websites (such as CCCAP and Colorado Shines), as well as information on Actions the Assembly may adopt. The portal website should cover a range of childcare needs and include information or links on financial aid, finding childcare, transportation, etc. The website could also advertise trainings for family, friends, and neighbors. While these resources exist across several websites, there is not currently a single location for this information. The website should also include a social media presence. When possible, make use of existing resources.
As for what comes next, Delegates and community members are leading the way and creating a new nonprofit. In late January, the group will host a community-wide event to reflect on the deliberation journey, introduce the next steps, and celebrate the many different perspectives that made this process rich and thoughtful.
