Jefferson County Bright Futures Child Care Survey Project
Over the past year, Healthier Colorado partnered with Open Answer, Groundswell for Good LLC, and the Colorado Gives Foundation to survey parents of young children and early childhood providers to tell the story of child care in Jefferson County.
Read the Report Brief HERE
This report surveyed 423 Jefferson County parents and their experiences with child care. The report reveals that families are struggling to pay for child care and are making significant financial and employment sacrifices to make ends meet. It’s estimated that families lose approximately $78 billion annually, and small businesses lose another $23 billion annually due to unstable and unaffordable child care. Low-income families are disproportionately impacted by the cost of child care and spend five times the amount of their income on child care than higher-income families.
Read the Parent Survey Report HERE
“Parents shouldn’t be forced to take out a loan to pay for the childcare they need to earn a living and keep their child safe,” said Healthier Colorado CEO Jake Williams. “The findings of this research should concern both political parties and all the stakeholders in our economy. Creating a childcare system that meets the needs of parents at all income levels is good for kids, parents, and employers as well. It’s time to make this investment for the sake of Colorado’s families and our economy.”
Jefferson County Early Childhood Workforce Survey Project
This report surveyed 404 Jefferson County early childhood providers ranging from licensed and unlicensed providers, including teachers, nannies, at-home childcare providers, and folks who run private child care facilities. The survey revealed that nearly one in four providers find it hard or very hard to pay for basic needs. Moreover, the survey also showed that compensation, staffing, and administrative burdens are the biggest challenges child care providers currently face.
Read the Provider Survey Report HERE
While working on this survey, we gathered many powerful stories and testimonies from working parents and child care providers in Jefferson County experiencing hardships with child care. We wanted to share more than what we could fit into the report.
Hear directly from Jefferson County Child Care Providers
Read more about the firsthand experiences of child care affordability directly from affected parents:
Read more about the firsthand experiences of child care providers in Jefferson County:
