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Childcare Collective Project
The wellbeing of our neighborhoods and communities can be measured by the health of the children and families that reside within it. At COPMHP, having access to affordable, high-quality childcare IS perinatal mental health.
Families cannot thrive if economic security must compete with having high-quality childcare. Parents cannot thrive if their communities do not provide the community level support and resources that are necessary to surviving (and thriving).
The Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment (CDPHE) invites a representative sample of parents who give birth in Colorado to participate in the “Baby and You” survey, which collects data at various points throughout the baby’s first three years of life. Surveys are administered when the child is 3-4 months old, 12 months old, 2 years old, and 3 years old. The most recent report analyzed data from babies born in 2023 and includes questions about childcare.
This survey revealed that more than half of Colorado parents of 12-month-olds had no regular or routine childcare arrangement.
Amongst parents who did have some sort of childcare, 73% identified cost as the most common barrier to having their preferred childcare arrangement. “Preferred” could mean having a child in a daycare center that’s safer or closer to a parent’s workplace or home-based care for a child with health issues.
Every parent deserves to have childcare that benefits their families and our communities.
These are the people raising the next generation of teachers, students, doctors, lawyers, community advocates, and on and on. They hold our future in their hands.
And one thing we know is that when parents are supported by their communities (when the “village” truly shows up and exists), everyone benefits. Those with children, those WITHOUT children, the entire community.
However, in the United States in 2026, the “village” is a fantasy. For many, it’s only a dream. It doesn’t exist. And we can NO longer wait for a politician, a “guru,” an “influencer,” an “expert” or anyone else to fix it.