By Jess Fuller, Senior Director of Economic Impact
51% of Colorado lacks affordable and accessible child care options to meet the needs of families across the state. Colorado now ranks 5th in the country for most expensive infant care. While it is recommended that parents spend no more than 7% of their income on childcare to avoid being cost burdened, Colorado families are spending between 10.5% – 38.2% (depending on the county) of their household income on childcare annually.
The Common Sense Institute (CSI) recently released a report, The Child Care Opportunity Index , which examines statewide data on childcare affordability and access for families. The report highlights how limited affordable and accessible childcare across Colorado impacts businesses’ ability to recruit and retain top talent, and how unstable childcare options contribute to workforce challenges. As CSI noted, “addressing child care challenges will require multi-sector community involvement. Because affordability and availability look different across the state, communities should consider their specific conditions to develop the best solutions for families in their area.”
Key Findings of the Report:
- Childcare is a major financial burden for families across Colorado
- Since 2020, childcare prices have jumped 29%, outpacing overall inflation (22%)
- Monthly childcare costs average $1,001 per child, with families spending 10-38% of their monthly income on care
- Access Challenges
- 51% of Colorado is a childcare desert – meaning there are at least three times as many children needing care as licensed care spots available
- Only 4 of 64 counties have enough licensed childcare spots to meet the demand
- No county has it all
- No single county in Colorado offers both affordable and available childcare, and 23 of 62 counties have neither, creating a burden for childcare providers and parents/caregivers
Learn more and read the full report here.
The report also explored region-specific data. In thinking about how this impacts working parents and businesses locally, the report found key data for parents in Jefferson County:
- Of the 10 most populous counties in Colorado, Jefferson County ranks among the top three most expensive counties for childcare, with an average monthly cost of $1,487 per child.
- On average, Jefferson County parents are spending 21.8% of their monthly income on childcare
- In Jefferson County, there are 33,064 children under six years of age, and 19,208 licensed childcare slots, meaning that there are 0.58 childcare slots available per child six and younger
The Greater Arvada Chamber’s B.O.L.D. 2026 Initiative includes Childcare, as local employers are seeing childcare capacity as a barrier to recruiting and retaining top talent. The B.O.L.D. 2026 goal seeks to increase childcare capacity to enable caregivers to join/rejoin the workforce and give children the quality early learning experience they need to thrive. The initiative convenes businesses, childcare partners, and childcare providers to explore actionable solutions for businesses to support their workforce.
Opportunities for Businesses to Support Their Parenting and Caregiving Workforce:
Family Friendly Workplace Certification Program
This free program for local businesses includes an assessment, consultation, badging, and peer cohort to explore how family-friendly policies and practices around benefits, flexibility, caregiver support, and leadership support can recruit and retain their workforce
Convening business and community leaders to identify solutions to increase access to childcare
The Greater Arvada Chamber co-hosted an event with EPIC (Executives Partnering to Invest in Children), and in partnership with Triad Bright Futures, Triad Early Childhood Council, and Early Childhood Partnership of Adams County (ECPAC), to convene business leaders, community leaders, and government officials to understand the current state of childcare access and affordability in the region, and how they could collaboratively address the issue.
Childcare Talent Pipeline Management
The Chamber, in partnership with regional childcare partners, launched a short-term childcare provider Talent Pipeline Management (TPM) cohort to explore creative solutions to childcare provider workforce challenges. A report of these efforts and findings will be available soon.
This comprehensive resource brings together regional, state, and national support for Jefferson County employers to support their parenting and caregiving employees.
Learn more about the B.O.L.D. 2026 Childcare Initiative, and resources and programs for employers. Stay in the loop on upcoming Childcare Initiative events, resources, and news by joining the Childcare Network.
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