SAGUACHE — Lacy Reed, director of Early Childhood Programs and Board of Education president of Mountain Valley School District, was awarded the Rocky Mountain Early Childhood Excellence Award as the top Community Leader at a conference on March 12 in Denver.

According to RMECC, the 2022 Rocky Mountain Early Childhood Conference is the area's largest and foremost early childhood conference. Every year the conference hosts teachers, professionals, business leaders, policymakers, caregivers, and other stakeholders providing early childhood professional improvement and training.

The event features keynote speakers, workshops, early childhood exhibitors, and networking opportunities. RMECC is a program of Denver’s Early Childhood Council.

The Council’s mission is to elevate the early childhood field through innovative and inclusive leadership, services, and solutions.

RMECC stated, “Lacy Reed is a community leader in a childcare desert where 63% of children under 5 live below the poverty level. She is the director of Mountain Valley RE-1 Early Childhood Programs and has served on the school district's board of education for eight years. During this time, she has written over 30 approved policies that protect children, families, and early childhood education programs. Lacy has an extensive list of community achievements, including increasing her center’s CPP (Colorado Preschool Program) slots from 5 to 30. She took a program without a rating to a level 4 within her first year, that is now a level 5. She also received the Boots on the Ground award in recognition of exemplifying the spirit of cross-system collaboration.

"Lacy routinely organizes and offers training to all families of the community from monthly parenting classes to Cooking Matters. She can be found at community events demonstrating how to make hollyhock dolls or offering free face painting to children. She has helped several staff members go from preschool parents and stay-at-home moms to Early Childhood Teachers, thus actively building careers and employing members of the community. She has worked to ensure that toddler-aged children have a place in their community.”