In need of child care

Status quo?? I was incredulous and appalled to read in today’s paper that Monfort and Bridich plan no major moves or acquisitions in the offseason! And then, in a related article, they claim not to be concerned about Nolan Arenado leaving after the 2021 season? If next year is

Kids deserve the best, including quality child care. A few weeks ago, I traveled to Washington D.C. to talk with Sen. Cory Gardner, Rep. Diana DeGette and Sen. Michael Bennet’s congressional staff members. I asked them to support a bipartisan bill expanding quality child care. The bipartisan bill is the Child Care Workforce and Facilities Act.

This legislation would provide competitive federal grants to states for education, training, or retention of the child care workforce in addition to building, renovating or expanding facilities in child care deserts — an area where there are more than three children per each licensed child care slot.

If you’re a parent or guardian, you already know how hard it can be to find child care. And when you can find it, it may not be affordable. The average cost of child care in Colorado is more than in-state tuition at some public universities. Across the country, families are left struggling to find and pay for child care.

These competitive federal grants could help families afford child care, increase availability such as beyond traditional working hours, and enhance the retention of quality child care professionals.

Join me in urging our legislators to cosponsor the Child Care Workforce and Facilities Act. They need to hear from you.

Families need options with quality care. Send letters of 250 words or fewer to openforum@denverpost.com or 5990 Washington St., Denver, CO, 80216. Please include full name, city and phone number. Contact information is for our purposes only; we will not share it with anyone else. You can reach us by telephone at 303-954-1201.