Day Care Lacking in Denver

There is $46 million dollars in unused funding to get the poorest kids into daycare. That's where it all starts. Parents are confused about standards and what type of help they can get.

Thousands of Colorado's poorest kids are without adequate day care because their parents aren't tapping into nearly $46 million in unused funding for low-income families.

State and county officials say one reason is that they stiffened qualifications for Colorado's Child Care Assistance Program - anticipating federal funding cuts in 2001.

The cuts never came. But the number of children covered by the program dropped by 16,000, or 30 percent.

"The number of children getting help has dropped drastically," said Leslie Bulicz, child care programs administrator for the Colorado Department of Human Services.

"Families simply quit walking through the door," Bulicz said.

State and county officials are scrambling to get more families on the rolls, reduce the puddle of money that has built up and get children into day care.

If they don't use the funds within two years, the money could revert to the general welfare program for redistribution to counties.

"These kids are going somewhere for care, and anecdotally we hear of older kids staying at home to care for brothers and sisters," said Roxane White, director of Denver's Department of Human Services.

"There's a huge difference between quality child care and babysitting," White said.

Denver Post