A short, honest guide to Colorado daycare.
Colorado has changed dramatically in the last two years. With the launch of the Universal Preschool Program (UPK) in 2023, every four-year-old in Colorado is now eligible for a free, half-day Pre-K seat regardless of family income, and many qualifying families receive a full school-day seat. That single policy change has significantly reduced the cost of the four-year-old year for thousands of Colorado families.
Universal Preschool Program (UPK)
Colorado's Universal Preschool Program, launched in the 2023-2024 school year and administered by the Colorado Department of Early Childhood (CDEC), funds at least 10 hours per week of free preschool for every four-year-old in the state, regardless of family income. Income- and risk-qualifying four-year-olds receive up to 30 hours per week, and some eligible three-year-olds receive up to 10 hours per week. UPK runs through participating school district, community-based, and family child care providers, with parent choice across settings. Read our Colorado UPK walkthrough.
Source: CDEC Universal Preschool Program Enrollment Report, 2024-2025. Approximately 43,000 four-year-olds enrolled in Colorado UPK in 2024-2025, with the largest enrollments in Denver, El Paso, and Arapahoe counties.
Colorado Shines
Colorado Shines is the state's Quality Rating and Improvement System, administered by CDEC. Licensed centers, family child care homes, and Head Start programs progress through Level 1 through Level 5 ratings based on workforce qualifications, family partnerships, leadership and administration, learning environment, and child health. Level 3 and above represents meaningful quality investment above licensing minimums. Filter our directory by Colorado Shines level.
Colorado licensing and ratios
The Colorado Department of Early Childhood (CDEC) Office of Early Childhood licenses and inspects every legal child care center, family child care home, and exempt school-age provider in the state. Center ratios are 1:5 for infants under twelve months, 1:5 for twelve to eighteen months, 1:7 for eighteen to thirty months, 1:8 for thirty months to three years, 1:10 for three- to four-year-olds, 1:12 for four- to five-year-olds, and 1:15 for school-age. Every provider in our directory is cross-checked monthly.
Financial help in Colorado
The Colorado Child Care Assistance Program (CCCAP), administered by CDEC through county Departments of Human Services, funds subsidized care for working families up to a county-set income threshold. UPK, federal Head Start, and Early Head Start fund additional free seats. All families can use the federal Child and Dependent Care Tax Credit, the Colorado Child Care Expenses Credit (income-tied), and a Dependent Care FSA if offered through work. Our tax credit explainer walks through the math.
Where Colorado parents tend to overpay
- Paying private preschool tuition for a four-year-old when Universal Preschool is free for every four-year-old in Colorado. Check participating providers in your area first.
- Premium central Denver and Boulder centers when a Level 4 or 5 Colorado Shines program in Lakewood, Arvada, or Aurora runs $200 to $500 less per month.
- Skipping the CCCAP application; eligibility has expanded and processing has improved since CDEC was stood up in 2022.
Before your first tour, download the free DaycareSquare comparison checklist and the tour questions list.
