Aurora, Colorado / Syndication Cloud / October 3, 2025 / Balance Early Learning Academy
Growing Demand For Early Childcare Puts Pressure On CO Facilities
According to Colorado-based Summit Daily, 2025 saw the submission of more early childhood education applications than any year prior, with a particularly sharp rise in applications among low-income families. In the face of this increase, experts across the state are attempting to develop a more robust framework to guide the creation and expansion of new programs.
Aurora-area provider Balance Early Learning Academy (BELA) explains that, while most Colorado families have access to 12 weeks of leave through the state’s FAMLI program, parents may still struggle to find affordable care providers after this window, while freelancers and other gig workers may not have access to leave at all.
Why Is Early Education Important?
As reported by the NIH, children enrolled in early learning at a very young age are more likely to attend college, and receive better grades on average than children who began their education in preschool or later.
For particularly young children in the 6-week to 2-month age window, the benefits of early childcare are more pronounced and immediate.
Early Childhood Education Essentials
In the current political climate, funding battles are impacting childcare facilities extremely harshly, the Center for Law and Social Policy explains. However, this does not mean that programs need to suffer. By relying on existing guidance and smart implementation strategies, BELA suggests that successful expansion of these programs is still possible.
Programs need to adhere to CDC guidance regarding childhood development milestones, which vary based on the age of the child. For example, infants are gently socialized and receive practice with object recognition, while older children explore textures, object permanence, and rudimentary language skills.
Additionally, experts suggest that program creators maintain the state-mandated child-teacher ratio in order to ensure that all children’s needs are met promptly and that children receive the attention necessary for ongoing emotional health. Psychology Today explained that children in the 6-week to 1-year age range require near-constant, responsive attention to meet development milestones, which is why this factor should be prioritized.
Likewise, the American Academy of Pediatrics offers guidelines for noise, light, and stimulation levels, and the Health Department lays out sanitation standards for common spaces and food preparation facilities.
Conclusions
By relying on existing guidelines, early childcare facilities can establish a baseline for care. From there, the scaling of operations becomes a numbers game. How many children can the current budget support before care quality slips? Will class sizes need to be adjusted to accommodate this increased demand? These are questions that communities may need to ask going forward.
Parents are encouraged to investigate all options in their areas thoroughly before selecting a facility. Those that meet and exceed the guidelines listed above should be prioritized. In this way, children receive optimal access to care, and parents rest assured that funding cuts will not impact their children’s lives.
Balance Early Learning Academy
15151 E Wesley Ave
Aurora
Colorado
80014
United States
