Parents like to know what to expect, and Colorado child care doesn’t have too many surprises. With 4.8 million people, Colorado residents account for 1.6% of residents nationwide. Similarly, with just over 800,000 kids, Colorado kids account for 1.6% of the nation’s kids, too. With 577,000 families, Colorado is home to, you guessed it, 1.6% of the nation’s families, as well. Even when the total children under age 6 potentially needing child care is considered (based on single-parent families and two-parent working families), the Colorado number is, again, 1.6% that of the total country. So far, everything adds up nicely.
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When the number of child care centers is considered, a pleasant surprise is revealed. There are 2,849 child care centers in Colorado. The number seems to be a disproportionately large representation of child care centers as it makes up 2.3% of the United States total. Add in the 3,288 family child care homes for a total of 6,137 child care facilities. The total comes out to be 1.7% of the total facilities throughout the country. That statistic brings the numbers back on target with what is expected in predictable Colorado.
However predicable so far, there are a few defining contrasts for Colorado when the kind of child care requested is looked at. Nationwide, four out of five requests are for full-time care. In Colorado, it is an even more significant number. Nine out of ten of the state’s requests are for full-time care. Additionally, there is significantly less need for nontraditional hours care (2% of requests compared to 10% of requests nationally). With statistics like these, it seems like parents in Colorado are finding typical nine to five jobs that keep them on a predicable schedule in a predictable state.
Prices for Colorado child care aren’t standout numbers either. Infant care in a center is around $12,000 per year. The national averages range from $4,650 to $18,200. Prices for older children are less, both in Colorado and nationally. At a Colorado center, care for a four-year-old is about $9000, right in the middle of the $4,000 to $14,000 price range.
While Colorado proves to be a mostly typical state in prices and predictable in most all statistics, the numbers don’t reflect the state’s best features. With big cities like Denver and world class mountains, families will find unpredictable adventures for children as well as predictable child care. It’s a perfect combination.
