Building Dreams Without a Sustainable Blueprint: Our Nation's Early Childhood Education Gamble

In the classic film Field of Dreams, Kevin Costner's character hears a whisper: "If you build it, he will come." It's a romantic notion—plow under the corn, erect a ballpark in the middle of nowhere, and magic happens. At the Early Childhood Education Association of Colorado (ECEA), we often invoke this metaphor for policy work in our field. Enthusiastic visions of universal pre-K, expanded child care slots, and robust support for young families abound. We dream big: more centers, better-trained educators, every child thriving from day one. But without a hard look at the fiscal ledger, these dreams risk becoming nightmares—for families, providers, and our state's economy.

Historically, our state was keeping pace by opening enough child care programs to offset program closures, resulting in about the same number of child care spaces in the system statewide year over year. That is not the case this year! Members, see you members only update today to find out just how bad that deficit actually is! (If you need help accessing, email dawn@coloradoecea.org )

ECEA has created a petition to provide programs, staff, and families the opportunity to tell CO federal legislators that we need furloughed Office of Child Care staff to be able to go back to work so that they can approve the CDEC waiver request so that CO counties do not have to implement the 2024 CCDF rule set that the feds plan to rescind with additional deregulation support for the industry. Until the waiver is approved, 24 counties will not move off of freeze and waitlists for any new families that are seeking low income child care funding support to provide them with support to become self sufficient. PLEASE SIGN THE PETITION AND SHARE IT OUT! At the very least, legislators need to know that CO Child Care programs are closing during this stalemate.

Local initiatives seek to provide some degree of financial support to child care providers through ballot initiatives. If they pass, it's up to local citizens to make sure that the programs are implemented fairly and that the full amount or revenue goes to fund what the initiative asks to fund, not become another tax workaround for localities to "assist in the initiative implementation" for millions of dollars in revenue themselves.

This "field of dreams" approach isn't malice; it's optimism unchecked by fiscal reality. We celebrate expansions but without modeling the true costs: zoning hurdles, insurance spikes, and staffing shortages. We assume that private businesses can carry the weight of the fiscal responsibility alone. Some wonder if it is an intentional breaking of an industry to force the hand of government to bring a national solution to the industry? Either way, the result? Programs close, families support crumbles, and our economy loses $3.8 billion in potential GDP if those sidelined moms returned to work. CO children shift into public school settings at younger and younger ages, parents unaware of the social emotional impacts their children will experience there.

It's time to rewrite the script. Policymakers, let's be realistic about what current funding levels actually cover. Alleviate administrative and programmatic burdens by loosening compliance requirements. Separate quality from safety requirements as recommendations for programs to implement in alignment with parent expectations. Fund what is needed in Colorado, not everything that you merely want to fund.

Colorado's children deserve more than a whisper in the wind; they need a blueprint that balances ambition with accountability. Build it right, and they—and our economy—will not just come, but thrive.