House GOP to Hickenlooper: Reckless Child Care Center Rules will Hurt Working Families

DENVER—House Republicans are pushing back against proposed rules by the Department of Human Services that would dramatically increase regulations on child care centers.  

The proposed regulations would stipulate everything from how many paint brushes a center must have, to the amount of time children play in sand or water, to the types of pictures to hang on a wall and the race of dolls.
State Rep Mark Waller called on Gov. Hickenlooper and his administration to remove the egregious rules.  

“Fewer daycare centers mean fewer options, and fewer options mean more stress for working families of Colorado.  Specifying the number of pictures on the wall is unnecessary red tape proposed by the Executive Branch that will drive small businesses out of business,” said Waller, R-Colorado Springs.  “As a parent in a two income family, I know there are few things more stressful in life than finding quality daycare for our children.”

The regulations are being developed on account of Senate Bill 89-205, which calls for a comprehensive review of licensing rules for child care centers every three year.  The bill’s author, former Congressman Bob Schaffer, R-Ft. Collins, said the bill goes beyond anything the legislature ever intended:

“The law was created to protect the health and safety of children—not to specify the color of toys, how many blocks a center has, or whether enough costumes are provided for toddlers.  If anything, the three-year review process was intended as an opportunity to discard obsolete, superfluous regulations, not add them."

Some of the child centers are specifically worried about the impact the proposed rules will have on their businesses and the children they care for:

“The state is trying to push a one size fits all approach on child care centers.  What they don’t understand is when we have great competitiveness and innovative thinking, that’s when we get better child care centers,” said Sandy Bright, who owns and operates three child care centers and 10 school age centers in Weld County and served as the former president of the Colorado Child Care Association. "Many child care centers, who serve a lot of low income families, do not have any money in their budgets to make these changes."   

Bright pointed out that over the last three years there used to be approximately 24 child care centers in Weld County, but there are only around 10 today.

"If more child care centers close, that means fewer safe and affordable options for parents."


“It’s time for Gov. Hickenlooper to step up and recognize that these job destroying rules will hurt working families and children the most,” Waller added.

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