RESOURCES FOR FAMILIES
Denver’s Early Childhood Council works to ensure a strong system of early childhood support for Denver families. Our work aims to increase access to quality, affordable child care, as well as health and mental health care services and other resources essential to raising healthy children.
FIND CHILD CARE
Check out these great resources to help you find the right child care option for your family.
COLORADO SHINES CHILD CARE SEARCH
Search for a quality, licensed child care program in your community. Compare quality ratings and find each program’s history of licensing inspections and incident reports.
211 COLORADO
Get one-on-one support with your search from a child care referral expert. Call 1-877-338-2273, Monday through Friday from 8 am to 5 pm. Chat and email options also available. Support available in multiple languages.
UNIVERSAL PRESCHOOL (UPK)
Browse providers and submit an application for your 4-year-old or qualifying 3-year-old. Choose from a pool of licensed and registered community-based, school-based, and home-based providers in Colorado.
RAISING CO KIDS
NEW in 2025! Use this family-centered platform to serve as your one-stop-shop for finding child care and other services to help support your child’s healthy development.
GET HELP PAYING FOR CHILD CARE
The Colorado Child Care Assistance Program (CCCAP) helps families with limited income pay for quality child care. Learn more about qualifications and the application process.
*IMPORTANT* Your county may be on a waiting list or have frozen new enrollment for CCCAP. If this is the case, you cannot access CCCAP right away after you apply. To determine if your county is on a waiting list or has frozen CCCAP enrollment, access this list of counties on a waiting list or freeze.
COLORADO’S EARLY LEARNING & DEVELOPMENT GUIDELINES
Practical tips and fun ideas that anyone can use to support young children’s healthy development from birth to 8 years old.
At EarlyLearningCO.org, find information about child development at each age, including videos that deepen our understanding of how we can support our children’s health and development through everyday interactions and routines.
Tips and information to support development at every stage.
RESOURCES FOR FAMILIES
Child Care Checklist & Key Questions
Looking for child care? This tip sheet has a checklist of what to look for in a program/provider. It also includes key questions to ask when you visit.
Preparing for Baby’s First Day in Child Care
This tip sheet can help you prepare so that your baby has a safe, comfortable experience in child care.
Early Childhood Mental Health Consultation
Families with children in licensed child care can access early mental health services to provide extra support for children who are having a hard time in their child care program or at home.
Preventing Suspensions & Expulsions
Learn about how to support your child if you think they might be struggling in their child care program.