A short, honest guide to Colorado Springs daycare.
Colorado Springs has a layered daycare ecosystem shaped by I-25, the front range of the Rocky Mountains, and the steady cadence of military life around Fort Carson, the Air Force Academy, and Peterson Space Force Base. Broadmoor, Briargate, and the Rockrimmon corridor run a strong center-based market with prices that approach south Denver mid-range. The Powers corridor, Black Forest, and Old Colorado City sit in the middle of the market with a deep mix of center and home-based options. The West Side, Southeast, and Fountain Valley host a dense network of family child cares and Colorado Shines-rated centers, many of them partnered with Colorado Springs School District 11 and Academy District 20 to deliver Colorado Universal Preschool.
Colorado Universal Preschool
Colorado launched its Universal Preschool program (UPK) in 2023, and by 2026 it offers at least 15 free hours of preschool per week to every four-year-old in the state, regardless of family income. Income-eligible families and children with qualifying factors receive additional hours. Colorado Springs delivers UPK through a mixed-delivery model that includes district elementary buildings, community-based daycares, and family child care providers. Many participating daycares combine UPK with wraparound morning and afternoon care, which means many parents pay only for the wrap hours. Read our Colorado UPK walkthrough for the eligibility math and enrollment timeline.
Source: Colorado Department of Early Childhood Universal Preschool 2024-2025 enrollment report. Approximately 39,000 four-year-olds enrolled statewide, with El Paso County accounting for one of the largest local shares.
Colorado licensing and ratios
Colorado licensed centers run at a 1:5 infant ratio, 1:5 for one-year-olds, 1:7 for two-year-olds, and 1:10 for three- to five-year-olds. Family child cares are licensed separately at smaller group sizes through the Colorado Department of Early Childhood Office of Early Childhood, and they can be an excellent fit for families who want a home-like environment, especially for infants. Every legal provider in Colorado is listed on the state's online licensing database, and every provider in our directory is cross-checked against it monthly.
Where Colorado Springs parents tend to overpay
- Broadmoor and Briargate premium centers when a comparable Rockrimmon or Black Forest program is fifteen minutes away at a 10 to 15 percent discount.
- Add-on enrichment fees (music, ski-readiness movement, Spanish) that quietly stack on top of base tuition after the first invoice.
- Annual registration and supply fees that are not disclosed on the website. Ask for the all-in monthly figure before you tour.
Financial help
Working families up to 185 percent of the federal poverty level may qualify for the Colorado Child Care Assistance Program (CCCAP), which covers a large share of tuition at participating providers. Military families stationed at Fort Carson, Peterson Space Force Base, or the Air Force Academy can also access Child Care Aware fee assistance and the on-installation Child Development Centers. All families can use the federal Child and Dependent Care Tax Credit and a Dependent Care FSA. Our tax credit explainer walks through the math, and our state subsidy guide covers the application step by step.
Before your first tour, download the free DaycareSquare comparison checklist and the tour questions list for a side-by-side scoring sheet.
