LAFAYETTE, Colo. — Many Coloradans lose their sense of community as they age and retire from work. A statewide nonprofit is working to change that — and help solve a critical shortage of early childhood educators at the same time.

The Early Childhood Service Corps (ECSC) trains and supports older adults to work or volunteer in classrooms across Colorado, providing a boost to preschools and child care programs struggling to find staff.

“Everybody's siloed, and there's not a lot of intergenerational community,” said founder and CEO Lisa Armao. “I really wanted to create community. We need just folks working with kids and older adults are the perfect match for that.”

ECSC operates at 72 partner sites statewide, ranging from infant nurseries to preschools. Fifteen more early childhood prog

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