Investing in the Early Childhood Workforce
Investing in Colorado Families
Investing in Access and Quality
Access and Quality
Access and Quality
Ensuring Access to High-Quality Services for All Colorado Families
CDEC seeks to ensure all families have equitable access to high quality early care and learning so that all children start school ready to succeed. These activities were designed to increase the number of licensed programs; improve the quality of licensed programs; ensure equitable access for underserved families; and sustain services by closing revenue-expenditure gap.
Learn more about our strategies to improve access and quality for Colorado families.
Access and Quality Activities
Access to Inclusive Care
Supporting a mixed-delivery system that meets the unique needs of all families
Bilingual Licensing Specialists
Increasing availability of linguistically responsive child care in Spanish-speaking communities
CCCAP: Alternate Methodology Rate Setting
Aligning CCCAP provider reimbursement rates with the true cost of care
CCCAP: Enrollment-Based Payments
Giving CCCAP infant and toddler care providers financial stability
CCCAP: Expand Income Eligibility
Making CCCAP available to more low-income families
CCCAP: Rate and Paid Absences Increase
Ensuring CCCAP provider success with increased reimbursement rates and paid absences covered
Child Care Indoor Air Quality Improvement
Making early learning environments healthier
Child Care Licensing Incentive
Providing one-time incentives to providers who become licensed or Qualified Exempt
Child Care Provider Business Training
Improving child care growth and sustainability through better business practices
Child Care Stabilization Grants
Providing operational funds to promote sustainability of child care and reduce costs to families
CIRCLE Grants
Promoting innovative strategies that make early care and learning more affordable and inclusive
Early Head Start
Making infant and toddler care more available to Colorado families
Emerging and Expanding Grants
Increasing the availability of affordable care, especially in child care deserts
Employer-Based Child Care
Incentivizing employers to build accessible child care centers
Facility Needs Assessment
Identifying the challenges facing child care providers and creating a roadmap to solutions
Family Child Care Home and Availability of Care Navigators
Helping families find real-time child care options in their community
Family, Friend and Neighbor (FFN) Advisory Council and Training Programs
Establishing an advisory council for non-licensed child care providers
New Provider Success Grants
Offering operating funds to license-exempt providers so that savings can be passed to families
Quality Improvement Incentive
Incentivizing child care providers to enhance their Colorado Shines quality rating
Staffed Family Child Care Network Pilots
Providing in-depth technical assistance, licensing kits and business support to in-home providers