Quality Child Care in Colorado: A Cost Study
As families in Colorado struggle to balance increasing costs of living, and child care providers fight to keep their businesses open and staffed, it’s clear that our early childhood education system is in need of assistance. In order to propose smart and practical solutions, we must first understand the root causes of these affordability issues, and assess the costs required to provide quality care.
In part one of our series ”Quality Child Care in Colorado: A Cost Study” we dig into the new Colorado Cost of Care Model developed with Brodsky Research and Consulting. This model can inform the conversation about what it really takes to have a quality early care and education system that works for everyone – early educators and providers, the children they care for, and their families and communities.
Part two of this series looks into Colorado’s wider early care and education ecosystem. What types of providers exist, where are children being enrolled, and how much does it cost? We answer these questions, look at what has been accomplished to improve child care access in Colorado, and what more still needs to be done.
The final part of the series focuses on the various streams of federal funding making their way into the state. By looking at how these funds are appropriated, we can assess the impact they will have on our child care & education ecosystem, and what gaps are likely to persist.
Click here to open Part 1
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