As America races toward a national childcare funding cliff on Sept. 30, Coloradans and small businesses are bracing for the worst. More than 83,000 children in Colorado are expected to lose care as 1,000 childcare programs close. This will result in the loss of thousands of childcare jobs, costing Colorado parents an estimated $277 million in earnings as they are forced to leave the workforce or cut their hours. We rely upon the childcare industry: it’s the infrastructure on which small business success is built.

It’s important to note Colorado’s childcare providers – many of whom are women of color and immigrants – are also small business owners who need support to keep boosting local economies. Additionally, we hear almost daily from small business owners in other industries who are struggling to find and keep qualified workers due to a lack of childcare. This is a critical part of a thriving small business ecosystem.

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Federal funding is necessary to the stability of childcare and in turn, our workforce. In our state, the American Rescue Plan’s Child Care Stabilization program brought $286 million in funding to thousands of childcare programs. As its subsidies run out, small businesses owners and their employees will feel the pain. With the introduction of the federal Child Care Stabilization Act, Colorado’s lawmakers in Washington D.C. have the opportunity to create a sustainable and stable funding source for childcare nationally. They must support it so Colorado’s small business ecosystem can thrive.

Lindsey Vigoda

Colorado Director at Small Business Majority

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