Early Care and Learning

David Collins, Director
Division of Early Care and Learning
1575 Sherman Street, 1st Floor
Denver, CO 80203
Phone - 303-866-5958
Fax - 303-866-4453

Division of Early Care and Learning - Mission

We improve people's lives by supporting quality child care. 
 

Division of Early Care and Learning - Vision

We meet the need for quality child care by partnering with families, providers, and local communities.

The Colorado Department of Human Services, Office of Early Childhood, Division of Early Care and Learning, is the State’s lead agency in planning and implementing public child care policy.  The Division of Early Care and Learning is responsible for the licensing and monitoring of child care facilities; managing the child care assistance program (CCCAP) for eligible families; administering child care grants and quality initiatives, and serving as the lead in implementing federal child care programs.  The overall goal of the Division of Early Care and Learning is to promote quality, accessible and affordable child care services for Colorado families.  The Division of Early Care and Learning accomplishes this in the following ways:

Child Care Licensing and Administration 

Colorado’s child care licensing laws give the Division of Early Care and Learning responsibility for licensing and monitoring approximately 9,000 child care facilities of all types.  These include child care homes and centers, pre-school and school-age child care programs, summer camps, residential child care facilities, and child placement agencies.  Criminal background checks are conducted on all child care providers and staff, as well as checks against the Judicial Department’s ICON database to determine court dispositions.    

To facilitate parents’ involvement in monitoring and making decisions about licensed facilities, the Division makes licensing histories of child care facilities available to the public.  On average, more than 1,900 licensing histories are reviewed annually.  The licensing program is also responsible for enforcement when consumers report providers in the community for operating a child care home or facility without a license.   

The Division provides technical assistance to child care providers and establishes educational and experience requirements for child care providers in all facilities.  Persons seeking employment as a director or substitute director for a large child care center must meet specific educational and experience requirements in accordance with rules established by the State Board of Human Services.

Colorado Child Care Assistance Program (CCCAP) 

The Division of Early Care and Learning is the lead agency on the Colorado Child Care Assistance Program (CCCAP).  Colorado Child Care Assistance Program (CCCAP) provides financial assistance to low-income families that are working, searching for employment or are in training, and families that are enrolled in the Colorado Works Program and need child care services to support their efforts toward self-sufficiency. It is administered through county departments of social/human services. 

Improving the Quality Initiatives and Availability of Child Care

The Quality Initiatives Unit is responsible for administering the federal Child Care Development Fund (CCDF) monies to increase accessibility, availability, and affordability of quality child care services for Colorado’s families.