To the shouts of, “When I say childcare matters, you say all families count,” about 100 people gathered in Roosevelt Park in Longmont on Saturday to voice the need for more equitable and affordable childcare.
Kaycee Headrick, CEO of the Early Childhood Council of Boulder County kicked off a list of speakers saying that the day was the start of a very important conversation.
“It’s a movement to help revitalize and reenvision what childcare looks like in our community. The current system is fractured and somewhat broken,” Headrick said.
This march comes after parents and lawmakers rallied at the state capitol in April for affordable childcare funding through CCCAP (Colorado Child Care Assistance Program) and an easier application process for aid.
A range of speakers took the stage some giving first-person accounts of their nightmares trying to find quality, safe and affordable childcare. The paperwork, tours, follow-ups and wait lists alone made it an almost full-time job. Others began their own childcare businesses to be able to make a living while watching their children as well.
Those working in the field told of the shortage of quality workers, low wages and increase in regulations. At least 11 care centers have closed in the past months in Boulder County taking away approximately 450 childcare spots. Any that have opened focus on children ages 4 and up with children 0-3 remaining the most underserved.
The average cost of childcare in Boulder County is between $19,000-23,000 per year per child — a cost that is not sustainable for most families. With the freeze of the critical subsidy, CCCAP, affording childcare is even more of a crisis.
TLC Learning Center in Longmont Director Matt Eldred said society is losing more quality childcare workers than bringing in.
“This has to change,” he said. “Today is about giving children the best chance to succeed. I encourage you to speak loud and make your voices heard today.”
While there have been great advances in the state in recent years including legislation passing for full-day kindergarten in 2019 and universal preschool, State Representative Junie Joseph noted that there is much more work to do.
CEO of Care.com Brad Wilson shares that the childcare crisis isn’t just an isolated issue in Colorado but nationwide. Costs, lack of facilities and wait lists have a trickle-down effect.
“Within the first five years of their child’s life, parents are being forced into a financial hole that is nearly impossible to climb out of,” he said. “The childcare crisis should be a major red flag for everyone, not just parents. It is a systemic failure that will impact our nation’s economic growth, and that affects us all.”
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