SANTA FE, January 30 – The City of Santa Fe's Office of Economic Development has applied and been accepted to join the National League of Cities’ (NLC) City Inclusive Entrepreneurship (CIE) Network with a commitment to an Early Childcare Entrepreneurship project. The CIE network brings municipal leaders together to create and implement programs to advance inclusive economic growth through entrepreneurship and a prepared workforce.  

"The lack of early childhood care and education has a ripple effect on our community. With NLC’s guidance, we are bringing together local and state government, as well as business and educational institutions, to explore immediate ideas that can become sustainable solutions for our families' long-term childcare needs," said Mayor Alan Webber.

The City’s commitment to the CIE network can bring in over $15,000 of funding and resources to implement new programs in the community and includes one-on-one technical assistance and access to a national network of expert organizations. The project team, with a representative from the Youth and Family Services Division, the Office of Economic Development, and the Santa Fe Chamber of Commerce, will work to document one-to-two support gaps and examine how community stakeholders can mitigate inequity while providing resources to support early childcare entrepreneurship. The team will also work with Growing Up NM and the Los Alamos National Lab's Community Partnership Office to maximize the impact of the funding.

The project will run through August of 2023.