The Daily Sun-Up Time to go behind Colorado's child care crisis
Nov 6, 2025
Erica Breunlin, an education reporter at The Colorado Sun, leads a crucial investigation into Colorado's child care crisis. She discusses the project's aim to uncover why child care is unaffordable and unsustainable for families and providers. Erica highlights the importance of child care for workforce participation and economic health, along with the dire challenges faced in rural areas like Ouray County. She also calls for input from listeners, inviting stories that will shed light on this urgent issue.
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Systemic Failure In Colorado Child Care
- Colorado's child care system is broken for both families and providers, leaving kids potentially unsafe during the day.
- The project will examine systemic causes and community impacts statewide to understand why it fails.
Compare With New Mexico's Model
- Colorado reporters will compare New Mexico's new universal child care to Colorado's system to see what's required to replicate it.
- They will also scrutinize dense state regulations that may not fit providers' day-to-day realities.
Child Care Is An Economic Issue
- Child care affects the broader economy because inadequate care pushes parents out of the workforce.
- Investing early in children can reduce later costs in juvenile justice and remediation.