Local families and child care providers continue to feel the sting from an enrollment freeze on the Colorado Childcare Assistance Program.
The Weld County Department of Human Services implemented the freeze nearly one year ago due to funding shortages amid new federal regulations and increased state-mandated provider rate adjustments.
The program assists low-income families who are homeless, working, searching for work or currently enrolled in school with child care assistance.
“We know that it is an economic driver for our community. We know it helps low-income families go to work and we support that, but we just don’t have the funding,” Weld Human Services Director Jamie Ulrich said.
As of October 2025, Weld County had 663 kids in the program, according to Ulrich. These children are still receiving assistance, but the county isn’t adding any new children due to the freeze. Prior to the freeze, there were 872 kids in the program.
There is currently no timetable as for when the freeze will end, according to Ulrich.
Republican State Sen. Scott Bright, left and Gov. Polis, right, both talk with preschoolers as they come in from recess during a visit by the governor to ABC East Child Development Center to celebrate the opening of enrollment for Colorado's universal free preschool program, in Greeley on Tuesday, Dec. 16, 2025. (Brice Tucker/Staff Photographer)In mid-December, Gov. Jared Polis visited the ABC East Child Development Center in Greeley to celebrate Year 3 of the state’s universal preschool program, which offers up to 15 hours of tuition-free preschool for all children the year before kindergarten. Additional hours are available for qualifying families.
Preschool providers say that many families, especially those in the Greeley area, need more than what universal preschool provides. And they don’t have the means to cover the difference themselves.
“I know that this is really hurting providers as well but we just don’t have the funding to … operate our program at the way that we were operating it years ago,” Ulrich said.
The ABC East Child Development Center Polis toured has capacity for 255 students, but at the time of his visit, only 120 students were enrolled.
Republican State Sen. Scott Bright, who owns ABC Child Development Centers, said at a recent legislative session preview that the state is facing a lack of affordable child care options for low-income families.
Relief is not coming from the federal government and the state does not have the money to help solve the problem either, he added.
Larimer County has taken matters into its own hands as it passed a .25% countywide sales tax in November to address the shortage and high cost of preschool and child care programs.
“We’re in such tough shape financially that maybe this issue needs to be solved locally,” Bright said.
Republican State Rep. Ryan Gonzalez fist bumps with preschoolers during a visit by Gov. Polis to ABC East Child Development Center to celebrate the opening of enrollment for Colorado's universal free preschool program, in Greeley on Monday, Dec. 15, 2025. (Brice Tucker/Staff Photographer)Hence then, the article about weld county freeze on child care assistance program nears 1 year mark was published today ( ) and is available on GreeleyTribune ( Saudi Arabia ) The editorial team at PressBee has edited and verified it, and it may have been modified, fully republished, or quoted. You can read and follow the updates of this news or article from its original source.
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