The Vail Valley Foundation and Eagle River Valley Childcare are requesting proposals from interested providers to manage and operate early care and education services at a newly built facility in Avon, Colorado.
There is not a single town in Eagle County that has enough licensed early care and education slots to serve its total population under the age of five. Due to this growing issue, the Vail Valley Foundation has established a new nonprofit arm, Eagle River Valley Childcare (ERVC), and, as the entity’s first initiative, has partnered with the Town of Avon to build a licensed Early Care and Education Center in Avon, Colorado. The Avon Early Care and Education Center will bring approximately 165 urgently needed early care and education openings to serve families in Avon, Edwards, Minturn, Red Cliff, and Vail. The 13,500 square ft. educational center will provide high-quality early care, learning and development for infants and children through five years of age with at least a ¼, if not a ⅓, of the spaces available designated for ages 23 months or less, and a lifeline to parents in the Eagle River Valley who cannot find or afford early care and education.
The project entered the bidding process in September 2024. We plan to begin construction in May 2025, complete construction in late summer 2026, and serve families by fall 2026.
This proposal request is intended to provide an opportunity for interested individuals and organizations to share information about their early care and education philosophy, approach and operational plan.
Eagle River Valley Childcare (ERVC) encourages proposals from all interested and qualified early care and education providers.
Proposals will be evaluated based on how the proposal satisfies the goals listed in the linked RFP below, and on the strength of the overall proposal and operator’s credentials. The RFP review will incorporate industry-recognized quality measures in assessing the strengths and weaknesses of proposed programs. ERVC reserves the right to select the entity that, at the sole discretion of ERVC, best satisfies the overall needs and interests of the project.
In evaluating proposals, ERVC will consider the following:
- 3-Year Business plan and proposed budget, including demonstrated financial standing or ability. The pro forma should include detailed calculations of revenue from sources (i.e. enrollment, CCAP), labor wages and hours by position, benefits, and expenses.
- Staffing Plan (teacher-to-child ratio, training, education, credentials, recruitment and retention).
- Proposed curriculum and early care and education philosophy, values and structure.
- Experience in the development and operation of early care and education centers.
All proposals submitted for evaluation must include but are not limited to the information listed in the RFP document linked below.
Responses to this Request for Proposals shall be submitted to the Eagle River Valley Childcare (ERVC) by email to [email protected], by November 15, 2024, at 5:00pm.
Any questions prior to submission can be sent to Sarah Franke at [email protected]. Follow-up interviews will be scheduled for the mornings of Wednesday, November 20, 2024, and Thursday, November 21, 2024. Final selection and contracting will occur by late November 2024. Please note that while we ask that you craft your submissions per our outline below, we are open to engaging with you should you have questions or alternatives you wish to present during the interview process.
Eagle River Valley Childcare reserves the right to waive any submittal requirement and submit due date and reserves the right to reject any and all proposals.
