The first year, six children enrolled. The next, the number jumped to 29. According to the latest 2000 Census figures, Erie saw a 624 percent increase in the number of children younger than 5 over the past 10 years, up from 99 in 1990 to 717 in 2000. On average, children younger than 5 make up about 6 percent of Boulder County's population, compared to 7 percent statewide. That age group also grew 11 percent in Boulder County in the last 10 years, from 15,777 in 1990 to 17,547 in 2000.
Officials say all that growth is straining local child-care services.
The number of children younger than 5 dropped in all the rest of Boulder County's mountain communities, as well as dropping 12 percent in Louisville and 3 percent in Boulder. Boulder's under-5 population fell from 3,997 at 4.8 percent of the population in 1990 to 3,888 at 4.1 percent of the population in 2000. Those numbers mean Boulder has a smaller percentage of under-5 children than any other Boulder County community. Boulder parent Vickie Patton can attest to the high demand. It took a concerted effort.