Colorado’s child care system is in crisis. For many families, child care is one of their largest costs; for others, it simply isn’t available at all.
Colorado ranks among the most expensive states in the nation for child care. Many families pay as much for child care as they do for rent or a mortgage. Availability is just as big a challenge. Roughly half of Coloradans live in “child care deserts,” meaning there are few or no licensed child care options in their community.
As Colorado legislators near the halfway point of this session, we have two bills that would address the lack of child care affordability and availability. Senate Bills 19 and 20 would help providers open, stay open and deliver high-quality care to all of Colorado’s children. By shoring up our child care system, these bills don’t just benefit families with children: they benefit us all.
When families can’t find affordable child care, parents — usually mothers — are often forced to leave the workforce or reduce their hours. In Colorado, tens of thousands of parents who want to work are unable to do so because of child care constraints, reducing household income and costing the state billions in lost revenue. This, in turn, widens the gender pay gap and reduces long-term earnings and retirement security.
Child care costs shape family decisions in quieter but equally important ways. Surveys show that a majority of young adults cite the cost of child care as a reason to delay having kids or to have fewer kids than they would like. With Colorado’s school-age population beginning to decline, this trend should raise alarms about the state’s future workforce and economic vitality.
So why is the system so strained? One major reason is chronic underfunding. Child care providers operate on razor-thin margins, while early childhood educators, who play a critical role in children’s development, are among the lowest-paid workers in the nation. Stabilizing the system will require sustained public investment. Even as Colorado faces difficult budget decisions this year, child care must be part of that conversation, because the cost of inaction is far greater than the cost of reform.
Funding alone, however, won’t solve the problem. Colorado must also take a hard look at how child care is regulated. The price of child care is directly tied to overly burdensome regulations that go beyond essential safety measures, such as requiring redundant digital and hard copies of documentation or charging exorbitant fees for permitting processes, as well as the rising cost of labor, including wages, benefits and training requirements.
Sen. Bright owns and operates ABC Child Development Centers in Weld County and experiences firsthand the challenges providers face. Their newest infant/toddler center in a low-income neighborhood has been ready to open for nearly three years, but remains stalled by local permitting delays due to long processing times. Once open, it will serve many families currently stuck on waitlists. Until then, parents remain without care through no fault of their own.
We’ve also heard repeatedly from providers frustrated by outdated and inefficient requirements. In some cases, state inspectors require hours of reviewing printed paper records even though the same information already exists electronically. These inefficiencies don’t make children safer, but they do make it harder to open and operate a child care center.
Moreover, providers who open their doors to families needing public assistance — through programs like the Colorado Child Care Assistance Program — often face financial challenges and delayed reimbursements, undermining their ability to operate. Meanwhile, centers that only accept private-pay families are indirectly rewarded for not participating in state programs designed to support low-income households, exacerbating inequities in access. Colorado has an obligation to protect kids’ health and safety, but the current system is too often burdensome without being effective.
Senate Bill 19 would streamline the county-based Early Childhood Council system, making it easier for families to find and access programs in their communities. Senate Bill 20 would establish a task force to recommend ways to reduce unnecessary barriers while maintaining strong protections for children. Together, these bills would make child care more affordable, accessible and sustainable.
This work is made more urgent by the federal government’s recent freeze of Child Care and Development Fund dollars. More than $140 million in federal funding for Colorado child care assistance could be disrupted this year, deepening an already serious crisis. We urge the federal government to restore these funds and provide families and providers with the stability they need.
Colorado families are doing everything they can to balance work, child-rearing and rising costs. The state has a responsibility to ensure that the cost of child care does not force families to choose between earning a living and raising their children.
Fixing this system won’t be easy, but it is necessary, and long overdue. Join us in supporting these bills to build a stronger child care system for all Coloradans.
Sen. Matt Ball, of Denver, is a Democrat who represents Senate District 31 and is a fifth-generation Coloradan who serves as the vice chair of the Senate Transportation and Energy and sits on the Local Government and Housing committees.
Sen. Scott Bright, of Greeley, is a Republican who represents Senate District 13 and a lifelong Coloradan and third-generation provider of early childhood education.
The Colorado Sun is a nonpartisan news organization, and the opinions of columnists and editorial writers do not reflect the opinions of the newsroom. Read our ethics policy for more on The Sun’s opinion policy. Learn how to submit a column. Reach the opinion editor at opinion@coloradosun.com.
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