B.O.L.D. 2026
Childcare
B.O.L.D. 2026 (BOLD – Big Opportunities for Leaders to Deliver) is a five-year regional economic strength and resiliency initiative of the Arvada Chamber of Commerce. The Chamber developed BOLD 2026 in consultation with private and public sector leaders and partners in Arvada, Jefferson / Adams Counties, Metro Denver and the state of Colorado.
Our Goal
Increase Childcare Capacity to enable caregivers to join/rejoin the workforce and give children the quality early learning experience they need to thrive.
Summary
Affordable childcare offerings within reasonable proximity to home and work are essential for our community to thrive. To achieve this end, we need accommodative public policy and direct action. The Chamber will convene key regional partners and stakeholders, and catalyze a program that solves this problem.
B.O.L.D. 2026 – Childcare
Challenges
Economic loss.
Jefferson County alone is incurring an estimated annual economic cost of nearly $200 million due to lack of sufficient childcare for the workforce; the direct negative impact for Jeffco employers is $60 million (loss of productivity, etc.)
Inadequate supply.
The supply of childcare spots has not kept up with the demand
- We have:
- 67% of the spots we need in Jefferson County
- 62% of the spots we need in Colorado
- Colorado is short nearly 250,000 spots
- More than half (51%) of Coloradans live in a childcare desert – only 1 slot for every 3 needed
- 7000+ licensed infant childcare slots lost since 2011 (in Colorado) – nearly 30% of the supply
Cost prohibitive for primary caregivers.
Childcare is cost prohibitive for many
- Colorado has the 8th highest cost of childcare in the U.S.
- 55% of families report spending at least $10,000 per year on childcare
- Since 1990, average childcare costs have risen 214% – outpacing the 143% increase in average family income
Struggling childcare businesses.
Childcare businesses struggle with staffing and very low-profit margins
- 80% of childcare centers are experiencing staffing shortages; nearly half (47%) of programs experiencing staffing shortages are serving fewer children now
- Women owners of childcare businesses lack access to low-cost capital and financing to support long-term sustainability
Struggling childcare professionals.
- More than 30% of childcare professionals are considering leaving the field due to low pay and other challenges; the percentage is higher for minority-owned programs
- In 2020, the median pay for childcare workers was $12.24 per hour, 40% less than an average worker
- 33% of childcare workers receive public assistance because the pay is so low
Barrier to availability of women caregivers.
Cost of childcare is often the main reason women leave the workplace – especially for those with multiple young children; in two-parent, two-income households where one parent has considered leaving or has left the workforce to become a primary caregiver, half (50%) say the cost of external childcare played a significant role in the decision.
Lack of regional coordination.
As with Talent and Workforce Housing, Arvada and Jefferson/Adams Counties have long lacked a coordinated effort to grow and sustain our childcare capacity.
Our Work
Catalyze a coordinated regional approach to increasing our childcare capacity
- Childcare KAPS Council (Coming Soon!)
- Childcare Champions Program: Sign up to recieve updates!
- Proud partner of Triad Bright Futures
- Proud partner of Colorado EPIC
Build public awareness about childcare gaps
Employer Resources
- Family Friendly Workplace Certification (Coming Soon)
- Employer Childcare Resource Toolkit (Coming Soon)
- Arvada Home-based Childcare Provider Support (Coming Soon)
Updates and Resources
Survey: Childcare + Student Support Business Impact
The Arvada Chamber is working to understand how we support the immense impact that COVID-19 has had on student support and childcare resources. We have developed the below survey for our local businesses to offer feedback on how they are thinking about this challenge that we are concerned will lead to additional people becoming unemployed and more missed work. We are committed to developing community-wide solutions to remedy this and your feedback is a critical piece of this work.
B.O.L.D. 2026 Goals
1
Grow Your Talent
Grow our talent to meet the needs of employers and job seekers.
2
Increase Stock of Workforce Housing
Increase the stock of workforce housing to ensure workers can attain housing within reasonable proximity to their jobs.
3
Increase Childcare Capacity
Increase Childcare Capacity to enable caregivers to join / rejoin the workforce and give children the quality early learning experience they need to thrive.
4
Strengthen Business Environment: Advocacy
Ensure elected leaders effectively represent business interests in legislative and policy matters at the local, regional, state and national levels.
5
Strengthen Business Environment: Entrepreneurship
Increase our ability to provide direct one-on-one support and broader collective resources to all businesses.
B.O.L.D. 2026 Initiative Brochure