High childcare costs and a lack of available facilities are forcing some parents in eastern Colorado Springs to leave the workforce.

SherryLynn Boyles, CEO of Joint Initiatives, a nonprofit focused on youth programming in the Pikes Peak region, said the area is severely lacking resources.

"We are living in a childcare desert, and the hottest part of that desert is in the east side," said Boyles.

Emma Martinez, a mother of two, experienced this firsthand. While out with her three-year-old Monday, she shared why she left her job as an EMT to become a stay-at-home parent.

"It's very expensive. It's why I became a stay-at-home parent," said Martinez.

Martinez agreed that finding care in the area is difficult.

"Yes it's few and far between," said Martinez.

The financial burden ultimately drove her decision to leave her career.

"It would cost almost my whole monthly income just to send my child to someone else to look after," said Martinez.

Martinez said childcare would have cost her about $3,500 a month, or roughly $40,000 a year.

"They were very short staffed by the time I was leaving, but there was just no other option," said Martinez.

Despite the difficult sacrifice, Martinez noted there are benefits to staying home.

"I get to raise him and I get to be at every sports game for my older son," said Martinez.

Boyles said these scenarios are affecting an increasing number of young families daily.

"Where we don't have adequate childcare, it is heavily on the east side," said Boyles.

The lack of options is changing the dynamics of local households.

"We have one parent staying home with children at much greater rates than you would expect," said Boyles.

To address the shortage, Boyles suggested incentivizing childcare resources with more funding and peeling back certain regulations, such as specific building renovation requirements, that make it difficult to build new facilities.

"We certainly support regulation that ensures the healthy and safety of children, but these go way beyond the health and safety of children," said Boyles.

While the east side is heavily impacted, Boyles noted it is not the only part of the city lacking childcare resources. She said the highest needs are in the southeast and Fountain-Fort Carson areas.

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Vivian Cobb thought she had financial security, but weeks before her husband's death, she discovered their accounts were empty, and her home was in foreclosure.

Now, the Colorado Springs woman is sharing her story to encourage couples to have difficult conversations about finances.

"He was a very wealthy man, we were together about 10 years," Cobb said.

In 2011, Cobb's husband fell ill, and his condition worsened quickly. Weeks before he died, Cobb went to the bank to secure more funds and realized there was a surprise regarding their finances.

"We opened account after account after account. They were all pretty much empty, except for his checking account, which had $5,000 left in it. That's when I found out we had no more money," Cobb said.

"My house was five months in foreclosure. He had maxed out all his credit cards," Cobb said.

Cobb was unaware of the financial issues before her trip to the bank.

"He kept it from me because he was trying to protect me," Cobb said.

Following her husband's passing, Cobb had to get back on her feet.

"I built my real estate business. I catered parties for my friends. I cleaned houses," Cobb said.

Despite working her way back, Cobb said the main thing she did not do with her late husband was have a tough conversation regarding finances.

"Emotional and physical intimacy is great in a relationship, but a big missing piece is financial intimacy," Cobb said.

Catherine Hammond founded Hammond Law, a Colorado Springs-based estate planning firm. She said that while this is a unique example, it is still rather common for a partner to leave behind something unexpected for their widow.

"This is one of the most heartbreaking situations that we see," Hammond said. "I've had clients discover they were having an affair, and purchased property with the person they were having an affair with. We've seen all sorts of really surprising things."

To avoid these situations, Hammond and Cobb both recommend acknowledging the weight of a financial conversation with a partner. They suggest accepting it might be uncomfortable, but to consider how uncomfortable it would be if finances were not addressed.

"These are tender conversations and most of us don't want to face our mortality," Hammond said.

Hammond suggests approaching the conversation by leading with a scenario that could happen to anyone, such as asking what would happen if one of them got into a car accident.

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Eastern Colorado Springs continues to experience growth with new homes and businesses, and local entrepreneurs are stepping in to fill community needs in the Springs Ranch area.

David and Andrea Kruth opened the first Beans & Brews Coffee House in Colorado Springs in January. The couple saw an opportunity in the eastern part of the city due to its combination of traffic, proximity to schools, and retail options.

"We really wanted to create a sense of community here," said David and Andrea Kruth.

"I have stressed to the baristas, we're doing more than pouring their cup of coffee when they come in," said David and Andrea Kruth. "Having that ability to be in that big a traffic corridor, but also where a lot of people live, is really important. We know there's a love and need for it, so we thought it was a no-brainer."

A few doors down from the coffee shop, Jason and Kaylee Derra celebrated one year of business at Fit Body Boot Camp. They wanted to provide a smaller, local gym environment that caters to people of all ages.

"We saw a need in the fitness space," said Jason Derra.

"We do hold you accountable," said Kaylee Derra.

"All groups of all fitness levels can really work on their health in here," said Jason Derra. "We just started workouts for 60+ folks. It's really hard for that community to have an outlet to work out in."

Both couples acknowledged how much the area has grown, noting that as the eastern side of the city expands, the demand for neighborhood services will continue to rise.

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Just south of the former home of the Vibes ballpark in Colorado Springs lies a large, open space area and a well-paved trail alongside Sand Creek that remains largely unused.

What happens to this space is currently unclear. Nearly four years ago, a master plan was put in place to upgrade Coleman Community Park and determine what facilities would best fit the space.

A spokesman for the city said it is a project they would like to continue, but the main roadblock is pooling together the funding.

Last year, the plan was to have pond and creek channel improvements to the park that would carry over into this year. However, according to the City of Colorado Springs website, the last update on the park was last spring, and the improvements are currently not happening.

The lack of development leaves many neighbors unaware of the trail just off North Carefree Circle.

"I never even knew it was a trail," said Terrance Thomas, who lives five minutes away.

Thomas walks two dogs around his neighborhood instead of using the nearby open space.

"I've never been on that trail," said Thomas.

Michael Smith commutes to the east often for work and said the trail is a resource he would like to use in the future.

"Driving by this area, we always wondered if there's more around this area," said Smith. "It would be nice if it were depicted a little better so we know that it's there. This would really be a great resource for this neighborhood."

During several hours at the park on a midweek day, I observed very little activity along the well-paved trail that runs parallel to Sand Creek.

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