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Rangely council hears plea from Giant Step Preschool, tables $3,000 donation request
Summary
After a detailed presentation from Giant Step Preschool’s director about falling enrollment and rising costs, the Rangely Town Council voted to table a $3,000 donation request while staff pursue county funding options and other supports.
Kirsty Kildiff, director of Giant Step Preschool, told the Rangely Town Council that the town’s only licensed child-care center has seen enrollment fall sharply, lost a longstanding grant that historically covered property taxes and insurance, and faces sharply higher insurance premiums and staffing costs.
“We are the only licensed facility in Rangely,” Kildiff said, saying the center had enrolled more than 50 children in 2024–25 but has about half that number for 2025–26. She described multiple cost-cutting measures, a recent tuition increase and active fundraising efforts but said the center still faces an operating shortfall that imperils its ability to serve local working families.
Kildiff requested a $3,000 contribution from the town’s Fund for Public Giving as short-term support while she pursues longer-term solutions including tax-exemption applications and new insurance quotes. She said the center had been reimbursed in the past for property taxes and insurance by a grant, but that program was no longer available.
Council members pressed Kildiff on sustainability and alternatives. One councilor said they were sympathetic but wary of using taxpayer funds to subsidize a private nonprofit’s operating budget; another asked Kildiff to pursue county and other grant sources. Town manager Lisa agreed to contact county officials to identify whether the county’s discretionary funds or CCITF interest distributions could be used.
Councilmember Andy Schaefer moved to table the contribution through the end of the year to allow staff time to investigate other funding sources; Kyle Ren seconded. The motion carried.
The council did not approve immediate financial support at the meeting and asked staff to report back with information about county funding, CCITF availability and any other potential partners. Kildiff told the council she had taken multiple steps to reduce costs — including raising tuition, limiting hours and pursuing donations and grants — and that closure of the center would be “devastating to families, employers, and the overall workforce.”
Next steps: staff will report back to the council with any county funding details and possibilities for tax-exemption or credits; the item remains on the council’s agenda for later consideration.
