Denver ditches local child care center licensing
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Denver will stop issuing separate child care business licenses, eliminating one hurdle to opening new centers.
Why it matters: Denver is cutting red tape as child care centers struggle to stay afloat and families face soaring costs.
Reality check: Backers say this change likely won't open the floodgates to new providers.
- The changes will lower costs to open facilities, but won't "make or break" a business, OCA policy director Rhett Gutierrez said during a meeting last month.
State of play: The Denver City Council voted unanimously Monday to pass the law to drop the local licensing requirement.
- The city will defer to state licensing rules. Local health and safety standards will go unchanged.
By the numbers: The average cost of infant care in Denver is roughly $20,000 a year, and can consume up to 25% of a family's income, according to a June presentation from the city's Office of Children's Affairs (OCA).
Threat level: "We're in a child care crisis," Gutierrez said last month.
- Colorado ranks as the seventh most expensive state in the country to raise a child, a 2025 SmartAsset study showed.
Between the lines: Making Denver a more child-friendly city is among Mayor Mike Johnston's citywide goals, with a focus on providing more affordable and reliable child care, specifically for infants and toddlers.
Zoom out: Nearly half of American families with young kids live in a "child care desert" — a region with a shortage of licensed providers, according to an April analysis from the liberal Center for American Progress, writes Axios' Emily Peck.
- Colorado (45%) placed 18th among states with the lowest share of families lacking access. Massachusetts (21%) tops the list, while Alaska and Hawaii (96%) are the states with the biggest deserts.