DENVER — Denver has eliminated its local licensing requirement for childcare providers to expand availability and accessibility across the city.
According to Denver's Office of Children's Affairs, families face an average childcare cost of $20,000 per year.
Both in-home providers and childcare centers will no longer have to pay a local license fee, which ranged from $25 to $200 depending on facility size. Providers will still be required to obtain state licensing.
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Rhett Gutierrez with Denver's Office of Children's Affairs said the change removes an unnecessary barrier.
"We weren't adding anything except another step for providers," he explained. "Our goal is to make it easier to open and operate a childcare facility, so that we can get more providers online, so we can get more slots available, and hopefully drive those costs down by just increasing our supply.
Gutierrez said the change will not impact safety or educational quality.
The move comes as Denver families face a severe shortage of childcare options. The city has only about 4,000 spots for 31,000 children under the age of 4, according to Gutierrez, although not all of those 31,000 children require childcare.
When asked about critics who say eliminating the local license requirement alone won't solve the problem, Gutierrez acknowledged the limitation.
"My response is we totally agree," Gutierrez said. "We know that this is punching a small hole into a barrier to unlock affordable and accessible childcare, but if we continue to punch small holes, we think that bigger ones will come."
Warren Village, a Denver nonprofit that operates early learning centers, welcomed the change. CEO Ethan Hemming said the need for childcare far outstrips its availability and sees the local change as a potential catalyst for broader action.
"We share the same goal," Hemming said. "I think this might be an initial step. I'm hopeful there's more to come."
