2007 Reports

Child Care in Colorado: Making Care More Affordable for Working Families

Dinan, Kinsey Alden; Cauthen, Nancy K.

In Colorado, as in other states across the country, the high cost of child care puts reliable, high-quality care out of reach for many families. Child care subsidies can help, but current policies reach only a fraction of those in need of assistance. Moreover, families who do receive subsidies can find themselves penalized for working and earning more as just a small raise can trigger a substantial loss in benefits. Using results from NCCP's Family Resource Simulator, this report illustrates these policy challenges and discusses possible solutions that would better help Colorado's low- to moderate-income workers meet their child care needs.