A strong start for every child
Every family in Colorado should be able to find and afford the child care they need, so they can work, raise their kids and build a life.
When families can access care they trust and afford, children thrive, parents can stay in the workforce and communities grow stronger.
The reality for Colorado families
Right now, child care is too expensive
- On average, parents pay $20,000 or more per child, per year, on child care.
- Despite families paying some of the highest tuition rates in the country, child care providers struggle to break even due to high operational costs that increase every year.
- The child care workforce declined sharply after the pandemic and has not kept pace with demand, primarily due to low average wages across the field.
What's Next
We’ve made strides to lower the cost of preschool, and now it is time to focus on child care.
To truly support families and Colorado’s economy, we need
- More affordable child care options so cost is not a barrier
- Living wages for teachers so that we can build and sustain our workforce
- Stable and predictable funding for providers so they can plan for the future and create opportunities for child care
- Local solutions that meet the unique needs of each community
- Startup support to help open more child care centers
Join Our Coalition
To add your name to the growing movement, please fill out this form and a representative of the coalition will reach out to you: