Finding child care in Colorado means dealing with three systems at once. The state licenses providers, counties handle most tuition help, and a separate statewide program funds preschool hours for four-year-olds. Our database holds 3,437 daycare listings across 261 Colorado cities and 64 counties, from Denver neighborhoods to Western Slope farm roads. The notes below explain who oversees these programs, how the picture changes between the Front Range and rural areas, and what to do before you sign an enrollment form.

Who Licenses Daycare in Colorado: The Department of Early Childhood

Since 2022, child care licensing in Colorado has sat with the Colorado Department of Early Childhood, usually shortened to CDEC. Its Office of Early Childhood took over duties that once belonged to the Department of Human Services. When a daycare says it is "state licensed," this is the agency behind that license.

Colorado licenses several types of care. Child care centers run from commercial, church or school-style buildings and often serve many age groups. Family child care homes operate inside a provider's own residence and care for a small group of children. A larger-capacity home license exists for providers who meet extra requirements. Every license states a maximum capacity. State rules also set staff-to-child ratios that tighten as children get younger, so an infant room needs far more adults per child than a room of school-age kids.

Licensing involves more than a building check. Staff go through background screening that includes fingerprints, caregivers must complete required training, and licensing staff inspect facilities and respond to complaints. Many licensed providers also take part in Colorado Shines, the state's quality rating and improvement system. It scores programs on a scale of levels. A higher level reflects more training, stronger learning practices and better family engagement. A lower level does not mean a program is unsafe, only that it has not yet earned the higher rating.

Not every program in our listings falls under the same rules. Care by relatives, and certain school-run, religious or recreational programs, may be exempt from the standard child care license or regulated differently. That is legal, but it means you should ask directly: which license do you hold, and may I see it? A reputable provider will answer without hesitation and will usually have the license posted near the entrance.

Metro Denver, the Front Range and the Western Slope: How Supply Differs

Colorado's child care market follows its population, and most of that population lives along the Front Range. Denver leads our database with 518 listings, and Denver County accounts for 489 of the county-level total. Colorado Academy Summer on South Pierce Street is one example of the school-affiliated programs that appear alongside neighborhood centers. South of Denver, Colorado Springs has 319 listings and El Paso County has 365. Families there often cluster around military and hospital employers, so schedules that start early or run late are common.

The suburbs carry a large share of the load. Littleton has 162 listings, more than Fort Collins with 121 or Boulder with 111. Aspen Creek Academy on West Coal Mine Avenue is a Littleton example. Jefferson County holds 371 listings spread over Lakewood, Arvada, Westminster, Golden and other cities. Antsy Pants Kids on West Colfax Avenue in Lakewood and Betty Adams Preschool on West 95th Place in Westminster show how varied those programs are. North and west of the city, Boulder County has 290 listings across Boulder, Longmont and Lafayette.

Many Colorado parents commute along I-25 or US-36 and choose care near work rather than home. If you do, check pickup times against traffic. A center that closes at 6 p.m. is a poor fit if your commute regularly runs long.

Outside the metro corridor, the options thin out. Grand Junction has 83 listings and Mesa County has 104. Appleton Extended Hours on H Road in Grand Junction is one local choice. Durango has Children's Cornerstone on Holly Avenue, and Pueblo has Prairie Heights Preschool. In small plains and mountain towns, you may find only a handful of providers, and many are family child care homes. Resort areas such as Eagle County face a double squeeze: high housing costs make it hard to hire staff, and seasonal workers need care on short notice. In those places, start your search months ahead and ask about waitlists first.

What Colorado Daycare Listings Cover: Centers, Preschools, After-School and Camps

The word "daycare" covers a wide range of services, and our listings reflect that. Some are full-day centers for infants through preschoolers. Others are half-day preschools, such as Sacred Heart Of Jesus Preschool on Mapleton Avenue in Boulder, Singing Hills Preschool on Madrid Drive in Parker, and Bethany Busy Bee Preschool on South Broadway in Centennial. A few are school-district programs. 27J Preschool @ South in Brighton and the Monaco Elementary Care Program in Commerce City fall into that group. Saint John The Baptist School in Longmont is a parochial school.

School-age care is a large category of its own. 1st Choice After School runs sites in Fort Collins and Loveland, serving children whose parents work past the end of the school day. Day camps and recreation programs also appear, including Enor Enviromental Day Camp in Golden and Colorado Athletic Club in Englewood. These can be useful for summer coverage or occasional care, but they may follow different rules than a year-round center. Always confirm ages served, hours, and whether the program is licensed as child care.

Names in the listings come from public records, so a business may operate under a slightly different name today. Spelling can also differ from the sign on the door. Use the address and phone number to confirm you have the right place, and call before you drive across town.

Paying for Child Care in Colorado: CCCAP, Universal Preschool and Denver's Program

Three programs matter most for Colorado families. The first is the Colorado Child Care Assistance Program, known as CCCAP. It helps eligible working or studying parents pay for licensed care. Counties run it, so you apply through your county's human or social services department. Income limits, waitlists and application steps vary from county to county, and the provider you choose must accept CCCAP.

The second is Universal Preschool Colorado, which started with the 2023-24 school year. It offers a set number of free preschool hours per week for children in the year before kindergarten, with additional help for some three-year-olds who meet qualifying factors. You enroll through the state's system, and you choose a participating provider, which can be a school, a center or a licensed home. Not every daycare takes part, so ask whether yours does.

The third is local. The Denver Preschool Program, funded by a Denver sales tax, offers tuition support to families who live in the city. If you live in Denver County, check it alongside the statewide program. Ask each provider how these benefits are applied to the monthly bill, because some providers credit the hours up front and others bill separately for extended care.

A Practical Order of Steps for Colorado Parents

The sequence below saves time, especially in busy Front Range cities where waitlists are common.

Colorado weather adds one more question to the list. Snow days, wildfire smoke and road closures can interrupt care, so ask how the provider communicates closures and whether you still pay for those days.

Licensed daycare and childcare programs in Colorado are regulated by the state's child care licensing division, which establishes standards for health, safety, staff qualifications, and caregiver-to-child ratios to protect enrolled children.

Daycare locations are available in 261 cities across Colorado. They are spread across 64 counties.

Cities with the highest concentration include Denver, Colorado Springs, Aurora, reflecting population centers where working families have the greatest demand for licensed childcare options.

Families in Colorado searching for licensed childcare should verify that any facility is currently licensed by the state, check inspection history, and inquire about available subsidy programs that may reduce out-of-pocket childcare costs.

Daycare by Counties

A
B
C
D
E
F
G
H
J
K
L
M
O
P
R
S
T
W
Y

Daycare by Cities

A
B
C
D
E
F
G
H
I
J
K
L
M
N
O
P
R
S
T
V
W
Y

Families in Colorado can verify the licensing status of any childcare provider through the state's child care licensing agency online database. Income-eligible families may qualify for childcare subsidies through the Child Care and Development Fund program administered at the state level.

Browse Daycare by county across Colorado to find the nearest location.

Choosing Daycare Around Colorado's Cities and Counties

Where you live in Colorado shapes what you will find. In the Denver area, you may compare a dozen programs within a short drive, but popular ones fill quickly. In suburban Douglas County, the Parker and Castle Rock listings, including Singing Hills Preschool and Castle Academy on Park Street, are a good starting point. Details for each are on the Douglas County page. In Thornton, A Child's Touch on Poze Boulevard serves Adams County families. In Greeley, A B C West Child Development Center on West 11th Street is a Weld County option.

Along the northern Front Range, Larimer County families can compare Fort Collins and Loveland programs. Pueblo, Durango and Grand Junction each have their own smaller pool, and driving distance matters more than in a metro area. Before you commit, visit twice if you can, once during drop-off and once mid-afternoon. A program that feels calm at 9 a.m. can look very different near pickup time.

Keep a simple record of every call: the date, the person you spoke with, the quoted price and any promised start date. Colorado providers set their own tuition, hours and policies within state rules, so quotes for similar care can differ widely even within one city. Your notes make it easier to compare fairly and to follow up when a spot opens.

The Colorado Department of Early Childhood licenses child care centers and family child care homes statewide. Its Office of Early Childhood took over this work from the Department of Human Services in 2022. Licensing staff review applications, run background checks, inspect facilities and investigate complaints. County offices do not issue the license itself, though they do run the tuition assistance program. If you have a safety concern about a specific provider, report it to the state licensing staff. You can also search a provider's license status and inspection history before you enroll your child.

Ask the provider for the license number and the age range and capacity it covers. Licensed programs normally display the license where parents can see it. You can then check the provider through the state's child care search, which is connected to Colorado Shines. That record can show the license type, quality rating and compliance history. If a program in our listings is a school-run program, camp or recreation business, it may fall under different rules, so ask exactly which approval it holds and what that covers.

Yes, in part. Universal Preschool Colorado began with the 2023-24 school year and funds a set number of weekly preschool hours for children in the year before kindergarten. Some three-year-olds with qualifying factors can also receive hours. It does not necessarily cover a full day of care, so many families pay for the remaining hours themselves. Only participating providers can accept the funding, and they include schools, centers and licensed homes. Ask any program you are considering whether it participates and how the benefit appears on your bill.

Apply for the Colorado Child Care Assistance Program through the human or social services department in your county of residence. Counties set several program details, so income limits and waitlist status in Larimer County may differ from those in Pueblo or Mesa County. Gather proof of income, identification, and work or school schedules before you apply. Your chosen provider must also be willing to accept the program. Call your county office first to ask whether it is currently enrolling new families, and ask the daycare whether it takes CCCAP.

A child care center is usually a larger operation in its own building, with several classrooms, a director and a staff team. A family child care home is run from the provider's residence and serves a small mixed-age group. Homes often offer flexible hours and a more intimate setting, which can suit infants or rural families. Centers tend to offer structured curriculum and backup staff when someone is sick. Both types need a state license unless an exemption applies, so check the license either way.

Start as early as you can, especially for infant care. In dense areas such as Denver and Boulder, infant spots are limited because of the high staffing ratios, and well-regarded programs keep waitlists. Many parents join several waitlists during pregnancy. Preschool classes often fill in late winter or spring for the following fall. Ask each provider how its waitlist works, whether it charges a fee to join, and how it will contact you. If you need care sooner, widen your search to nearby suburbs or consider a licensed family home.