We Need Your Support
Letter from David Smith, Past-President of the Archuleta County Education Center Board of Directors
Dear Friends of Wings,
Wings Early Childhood Center is a 501 c(3) nonprofit organization with a mission to provide quality child care for working parents and to prepare children for success in K-12 and beyond. This program is of special benefit to children who, through no fault of their own, were born with fewer advantages than your or my children.
Quality early childhood care and education is expensive. Colorado’s Office of Early Childhood has strict regulations that make these services both high quality and expensive. For example, 1 teacher can care for no more than 5 children under the age of 2 years. Teachers are required to undergo training throughout the year.
At Wings, children receive breakfast, lunch, and a snack. Providing a safe environment during the COVID pandemic has incurred additional costs at a time when parents are least able to pay.
Although we receive funding from the State of Colorado through the Colorado Childcare Assistance Program (CCAP) and the Universal Preschool program (UPK), tuition paid by parents is the main source of income.
Wings uses a 5 tier system for tuition. The amount that a family pays depends on their verifiable income and the number of family members in the home. Only a handful of our families can afford to pay the highest level, which is the amount required to cover the real cost to operate Wings. Tuition most families pay is less than the real operating cost.
How do we operate a non-profit when most of the families are paying less than the real operating cost? We rely on grants and fundraising to make up the deficit. Because funding through grants is both limited and unpredictable, we rely on fundraising to carry us through times when grant funding is not available. To be financially stable, we need to raise about $80,000/yr through fundraising.
Research shows that investing in quality early childhood care for children ages 0-5 provides a return on investment of 13% per year for the life of the child. This research shows that we can pay a little now or much more later when these children are adults. A donation to Wings now is a gift to future taxpayers. I hope you share my belief that quality early childhood care benefits not only the children and their parents but also you, me, our friends, and our children.
Sincerely yours,
David Smith
Donation/contact information:
Write a check payable to Wings Early Childhood Center and mail it to:
Wings Early Childhood Center
74 Backswing Ct.
Pagosa Springs, CO 81147
Tel (970) 731-2868
Fed. ID# 84-1127328
Colorado Child Care Contribution Tax Credit - Individuals and businesses can claim a Colorado income tax credit up to 50% of their total financial contribution to Wings. Please request form DR 1317 when you make your donation.
