Eight rural Colorado counties have ten times more young children than licensed childcare slots. Fifty-four childcare centers closed between April 2024 and early 2025. More than 4,300 openings — gone. The CCCAP subsidy program is frozen in 21 counties, cutting nearly 19,000 children from the help their families need so parents can work.
Meanwhile, state mandates have added tens of thousands of dollars to new home construction with no rural relief. A corrections officer commutes from Pueblo because Cañon City priced them out. A nurse turns down the job at St. Thomas More because there's nothing affordable to buy. A young family in Park County watches their parental leave run out while sitting on a childcare waitlist with no realistic timeline.
A community that can't support its families can't grow. We can fix childcare. We can fix housing. We can do it without waiting for Washington. The state has the tools — SD4 just needs a senator who will use them.
Childcare Capacity Where It's Missing
State capital investment to build licensed childcare in SD4's childcare deserts. Priority goes to infant and toddler slots, where the shortage is worst. Small rural providers facing closure from regulatory and cost burdens get the support they need to stay open, expand, and serve the families who are already on their waitlists.
Stability When Washington Stalls
When federal CCCAP funding freezes, rural childcare providers can't just absorb the loss. A state bridge fund activates when federal reimbursements stall — keeping centers open, kids in care, and parents at work while Washington fixes what it broke.
Rural Schools That Build Rural Careers
K-12 investment in SD4 schools that doesn't end at graduation. Trades and technical training pipelines connect high school graduates directly to real employment in healthcare, construction, corrections, and advanced manufacturing. Stop sending our kids away to find work — build the careers right here.