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Locate Child Care
Submit your child care criteria online.
Do you need child care immediately? Go to www.qualistar.org
Choosing Child Care & Staying Involved
Choosing Child Care
Your child's early years are very important. That is why, as a parent, you must demand the best care for them. The choices can be overwhelming. Read through the flyers listed below for advice and checklists on all types of child care for infants to school age children.
Staying Involved
Visit regularly to monitor the quality of care and make sure the program continues to meet your child's needs. If you have any questions or concerns, Child Care Connections Early Childhood Specialists are available by phone to discuss them with you. Continue to:
- Drop in unannounced.
- Respect the provider by communicating needs and concerns.
- Follow contract guidelines.
- Talk with your provider about daily activities; share information about your child.
Enhancing Your Child's Brain Development
What can you do to enhance your child's early brain development?
Recent brain research shows that early childhood experiences actually determine the learning pathways and connections that are formed in the brain, shaping the way a child will learn, think, and behave for the rest of his/her life.
Enhancing your baby's brain development doesn't take expensive toys - it happens during simple, everyday interactions with a warm, responsive caregiver.
| INFANT |
| TALK to your infant and explain what you are doing: "I'm going to change you now." "It's time to wash your face." |
| Never allow your young infant to cry without being comforted - you CANNOT spoil a young infant! |
| Repeat sounds baby makes - face to face. |
| Play music. |
| Hide objects under a cloth and ask, "Where did it go?" |
| Provide a variety of interesting textures for baby to feel - fur, sandpaper, velvet, etc. |
| Limit the use of restrictive devices such as playpens, swings, walkers, infant seats. |
| Give baby safe, interesting objects to reach for and grasp. |
| Read books with the baby on your lap. |
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| TODDLER |
| Read, sing songs, tell stories to your toddler. |
| Respect your toddler's feelings and help him/her learn to express them. "You sound really angry!" or "Your smile tells me you're happy". |
| Expand your toddler's language. If he/she says "more", ask, "Do you want more juice?" |
| Make an obstacle course from household objects which includes a pillow to jump on, a string to follow and a table to crawl under. |
| Let your toddler do things for himself/herself, like dressing, eating, clearing dishes, getting a diaper. Help him/her when he/she shows frustration or asks for help. |
| Allow your toddler to sort household objects such as socks, silverware or colored blocks. |
| With proper supervision, allow your toddler to get messy through sand and water play, fingerpainting or washable markers. |
| Pretend play with your toddler. Talk on the phone or play tea party. |
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| PRE-SCHOOL AGE CHILD |
| Ask open-ended questions - "What do you think will happen when...?" |
| Do simple cooking projects together, follow directions, measure ingredients. Observe chemical reactions when mixing baking soda and vinegar. |
| Write down stories your preschooler dictates. |
| Read, read, read to your preschooler! Let him/her "read" to you, making up stories from pictures or telling the story from memory. |
| Play counting games with objects such as cookies or blocks - add one, take one away. |
| Repeat and validate your preschooler's feelings - "I can see you are upset." "Wow, you're so excited!" |
| Allow your child many opportunities to initiate activities and then follow his/her lead. |
| Encourage independence! Let your child do things even when it would be faster and easier to do them yourself. |
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| SCHOOL AGE CHILD |
| Eat dinner together as often as possible. |
| Pursue a hobby or sport that you can do together. |
| If your child shows musical aptitude or interest, let him/her take music lessons or join a choir. |
| Listen to your child to find out what matters to him/her - respect the feelings he/she expresses even if you disagree. Say, "It must have been embarrassing when the teacher yelled at you," rather than "It serves you right for talking in class." |
| Be supportive as your child learns from mistakes. |
| Play board games together. |
| Plan which TV shows to watch, and watch them together. Ask questions about what you see. |
| Practice math facts or spelling words while riding in the car, or listen to books on tape. |
| Make up stories together and write them down. |
| Save some of their drawings and schoolwork. Look at them together later and note the progress. |
| Continue to read to your child even after he/she learns to read by himself/herself. |
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Licensing & Regulations
Licensed family child care
A standard license allows a family child care provider to care for 6 full time children, 2 of which may be under the age of 2, and 2 school-aged children before and after school. The provider's own children under the age of 12 are included in these numbers. With advanced training, a family child care provider may be licensed to care for additional infants and toddlers. Family child care providers caring for the children of only one family other than their own are Exempt from licensing.
| To Become Licensed, Home Child Care Providers Must: |
| Check with city or county zoning offices to verify child care is allowed in your area. |
| Check local covenants to verify child care is approved through your homeowner's association. |
| Obtain permission from your landlord if renting. |
| Attend 15 hours of state approved pre-licensing training. |
| Attend 4 hour Medication Administration training. |
| Obtain current First Aid/Infant & Child CPR certification. |
| Complete background checks for themselves and every adult living in the home. Complete finger print cards (in licensing packet) to submit with the licensing application for the background check. |
| Complete physical examinations for everyone living in the home. |
| Make final preparations to your child care setting. |
| Complete a home inspection with the licensing division of the Department of Human Services. |
| Send Child Care Connections the intake form and copy of your license so you can be added to the referral database. |
Rules and regulations
In Colorado it is illegal to care for the children of more than one family at a time without a license. All licensed providers must post their licenses and latest reports of inspection. Centers must also post the maximum capacity and child/staff ratio for each room.
Child Care Centers are expected to maintain the following group sizes and child/adult ratios at all times:
| Child's Age |
Maximum Group Size |
Child:Staff Ratio |
| 6 weeks-18 months |
10 |
5:1 |
| 12-30 months |
10 |
5:1 |
| 24-30 months |
14 |
7:1 |
| 30-36 months |
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8:1 |
| 3-4 years |
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10:1 |
| 4-5 years
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12:1 |
| 5 + years (school age)
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15:1 |
| Mixed age group
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10:1 |
Obtaining Public Files on Providers
Department of Human Services
The Colorado Department of Human Services sets minimum standards for health and safety, group size, ratio, and staff qualifications in child care facilities. All records are kept at the Department of Human Services in Denver and are available to the public.
- Call the Department of Human Services at 1-800-799-5876 to check a provider's record.
- Complaints received about child care providers are referred to the proper authorities when deemed appropriate.
Financial Assistance
Find out if you are eligible for Low Income CCCAP.
The Colorado Child Care Assistance Program (CCCAP) is available for low income
families. To be eligible for Low Income CCCAP, you must be in an eligible activity:
employment, job search, school/college. Answers to questions and interpretations about
rules of eligibility can always be addressed to CCCAP staff by telephone: 719-444-5316, or on
a walk-in basis.
You are within the required guidelines to receive child care subsidies if your family's
total monthly gross income is within the maximum defined below:
Tax Credits for Families
What tax credits does your family qualify for?
There are many credits taxpayers may take for various life events that often times go overlooked. Below are just a few credits specifically for families, taken from the Internal Revenue Service website (www.irs.gov).
Qualistar Rating
Measuring quality in licensed early learning programs
Qualistar rating measures quality in licensed early learning programs - both home and center-based - that serve children from birth to kindergarten. The rating measures quality in learning environment, training and education, family partnerships, adult-to-child ratios and group size, and accreditation.
- For more information about Qualistar Rating, visit Qualistar Early Learning.
- For questions about Qualistar Rating, call 303-339-6816
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