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Custer County approves DOLA-funded early-childhood needs assessment contract
Summary
The board approved a contract for a county early-childhood needs assessment funded by the DOLA local government childcare planning grant; work starts January and is expected to feed a strategic plan with completion aligned to the DOLA deadline (06/30/2026).
The Custer County Board of Commissioners voted on Dec. 10 to authorize Stacy Terrell and the Custer County Kids Council to execute a contract for an Early Childhood Needs Assessment, fully funded by the DOLA local government childcare planning grant.
Stacy Terrell, participating online, described the scope: the assessment will gather data on child counts, availability of care, and service gaps to drive an early-childhood strategic plan with local stakeholders (the work is intended to begin in January and be substantially complete by May to meet the DOLA grant deadline of June 30, 2026). Terrell said the assessment will feed into a broader strategic plan involving local school-district representatives and childcare providers.
Motion and vote: A commissioner moved and the board adopted the contract; the board recorded unanimous support during the public vote.
Why it matters: The assessment is intended to give the county an evidence base for planning childcare and early-childhood services and to align county strategy with DOLA grant deliverables. The contract is funded at 100% by the DOLA planning grant, according to the presenter; staff noted the county previously accepted the grant award and now must execute the contract and deliverables.
Next steps: Stacy Terrell and county staff will begin stakeholder outreach in January and return progress updates to the board to meet DOLA reporting requirements.
