Nearly 90 community members attended the Thriving Weld Quarterly Meeting on February 4, 2026.During the meeting, United Way of Weld County’s Early Childhood team—Adriana Carrillo, BreAnna Neeley, and Lisa Sadar—shared an in-depth look at the Early Childhood Landscape of Weld County.

Their presentation covered four key areas:

• the history of early childhood collaboration in Weld County and the importance of focusing on early childhood;
• an overview of the current early childhood landscape;
• UWWC’s Collective Impact strategy; and
• UWWC’s plan for addressing challenges within the early childhood education system, with an emphasis on Universal Preschool (UPK).

The presenters highlighted Weld County’s significant population growth—one of the few counties in Colorado experiencing an increase in young children. With this growth come unique challenges, including disparities in income and prenatal care access, as well as a shortage of early childhood education facilities. UWWC’s Early Childhood Desert Mapping Tool helped illustrate where gaps in access are most pronounced.

Programs, resources, and upcoming events shared by UWWC included:

• Roadmap4Kids
• Childcare4Weld
• UPK Application
• Desert Mapping Tool

If you have any questions about the presentation or UWWC programming and events, please contact Ernest Cienfuegos-Baca at ecienfuegosbaca@unitedway-weld.org.