COLORADO SPRINGS — Getting access to childcare is a growing problem in Colorado, providers say. Half of all parents in our state live in a community where there's not enough early childcare to meet demand, according to ReadyNation and the Council for a Strong America. That number includes El Paso County.
"We as taxpayers don't necessarily think of it as our problem if we don't have children that we're trying to find care for. But it is a problem that affects us," said the Colorado Director for the Council for a Strong America Michael Cooke.
ReadyNation says the childcare problem has a negative impact on the state's economy, costing $2.2 Billion in 2019. That number is projected to be $2.7 Billion this year.
"We're going in the wrong direction," Cooke says.
The Joint Initiatives for Youth and Families estimates El Paso County is 16,935 spots behind demand, all while the cost of childcare rises. ReadyNation estimates the average Colorado family pays more than $19,000 per year in childcare costs. That's almost as much as some public universities' in-state tuition.
"Childcare providers are not necessarily charging what it costs them to provide that care, yet parents still find that unaffordable," Cooke continued.
Liz Denson says she got into childcare for the love of helping kids and thinks the entire industry is like that. As the President and CEO of Early Connections Learning Centers, she says childcare is wonderful to have if you can find it.
"We do have families that we have to turn away, unfortunately, and we do have an active waitlist," Denson said. "The crisis is so huge in Colorado Springs for the number of childcare slots that are needed, there isn't enough services to go around for families who need and want childcare".
Businesses, nonprofits, childcare providers, and parents got together to try and brainstorm solutions for the future.
"I think what we need in the childcare industry is additional investment, similar to how we invest in K-12 education or higher education," Denson said.
Denson hopes that idea could lower childcare costs and increase wages for workers, attracting new people to the profession, and growing the industry to meet demand.
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