2021 Child Care Bills
Whether they are employers or employees, full time working parents need access to quality affordable early childhood education. The shortage of childcare usually lands much harder on women as the most likely primary caretakers, and, as a result, women’s workplace equality still hinges in large part on this issue.
SB21-236 Increase Capacity Early Childhood Care & Education
SB21-236 is intended to bolster the number of early child care and education providers in Colorado and increase overall capacity with 4 new grants. One grant would help employers with the capital costs of a child care facility onsite or nearby. Another would help eligible entities with funds to increase the salaries of early childhood educators. A third would aim to recruit additional early child care providers and educators, and to retain educators working in programs serving children five and under. The last would reward innovation that improves outcomes for children and families. The bill also eliminates the repeal dates for two existing grant programs, and would be paid for by the Colorado general fund and federal funds.
Early child care and education providers are currently struggling to keep their doors open. Providers that do not receive federal, state, or local funding support were 1.6 times more likely to report closure due to the pandemic. Public investments now can help providers navigate the next few months so they remain viable in the spring as the economic recovery takes off. There is a large unmet need for childcare support to keep Colorado small business entrepreneurs and employees working. SB21-236 offers one tool to work on this gap. There is no organized opposition to this bill.
HB21-1222 Regulation of Family Child Care Homes
Currently local jurisdictions can classify Family Child Care Homes (FCCH) as businesses for purposes of licensure and local regulations, including zoning, land use development, fire and life safety, and building codes. This means FCCHs must adhere not only to state licensure requirements safety, cleanliness and so on, but to any additional local regulations on business as well with regard to these land use and building codes. SB21-236 requires that FCCHs be classified as residences, thereby removing this additional layer of regulation.
From 2002 to 2018, Colorado lost more than 11,600 FCCH licensed slots, and the overall number of licensed child care facilities has also declined significantly over the last decade. There is a large unmet need for childcare support to keep Colorado small business entrepreneurs and employees working. HB21-1222 offers one tool to work on this gap. This bipartisan bill passed unanimously in the State House of Representatives and has been introduced and assigned to a committee in the State Senate but not yet scheduled. Only the Colorado Municipal League opposes, on the principle of local control, even though several cities and counties are in support.