March 15, 2024
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The immigration crisis at the southern border of the United States is in
the news almost every day. Estimates are that somewhere between 5 and
11 million people have entered the country without permission or
invitation, many at the behest of drug cartels and human traffickers. Once
here a large number of these illegal aliens (aka: “migrants”, “newcomers”,
“undocumented workers”, people “here without authorization”, etc.) get
jobs and so contribute to the American economy.
Those that have come over the past three years recognize that the cost
of living in Colorado has risen sharply, with everything from electricity to
eggs priced higher than it was prior to the election of Joe Biden. As a
result, all over the state people must work longer hours and extra jobs in
order to maintain a given standard of living. For many individuals and
families with children, the need to work more is urgent.
Yet many individuals and families face a profound limitation when it
comes to work: the availability and affordability of childcare. Several
factors contribute to the demand for such care, including the number of
single-parent families, the perceived need for both parents to work in
traditional families, and the lack of larger family structures needed for
support. As to cost, the average monthly cost for full-time, full-day care in
Denver is $1,575 per month per child.1 For many people, the financial
burden is onerous.
But Colorado’s House Democrats say that relief is on the way in the
form of HB24-1223 (‘Improved access to the child care assistance
program’). As introduced the bill will spend an additional $150 million
dollars over the next two years (and more thereafter) to expand state
assistance to those needing and financially eligible for early childcare. It
removes the requirement that counties verify eligibility before providing
services and permits parents and guardians to self-attest eligibility. The
bill does not cap prices for care, but it does cap the amount that
beneficiaries are required to pay at 7% of costs. Benefits are means-tested
so that, for example, a household of four persons in Denver could receive
benefits if its income is less than $70,500 per year; in Boulder the number
would be $81,000; in Colorado Springs it would be $60,000.
The good news for those here illegally is that like many of their fellow
Colorado residents, they too will be eligible for taxpayer assistance for
childcare. The bill passed its initial committee hearing and is headed to the
House floor for Second Reading.
1 See: https://mybrightwheel.com/search/l/guides/2022-denver-co-daycare-and-preschool-costs
