Parents and child care providers who rely on the Colorado Child Care Assistance Program are worried about what happens after Jan. 31.
That’s when the state expects a federal fund for low-income families’ access to child care to run out of money after the Trump administration said it is halting the money to Colorado and four other Democratic-led states over unsubstantiated allegations of fraud in the program.
A federal judge temporarily blocked the government’s attempt to cut funding from the Child Care Development Fund to Colorado for 14 days while the court considers a request for a longer-term stay. Still, Evelyn Freeman said she is worried about what happens next.
“It’s the reason I can work,” said Freeman, a mother of two kids under the age of 4. She’s able to afford child care with the help of those federal dollars. In turn, that allows her to work full-time at the front desk of a local hotel and go to school for her associate’s degree.
The Trump administration shut down the funding over concerns for “the potential for extensive and system fraud in the Colorado Child Care and Development Fund services that rely on federal funding.”
“I feel like to shut down funding to a program that's so vital to so many people, there would have to be extensive evidence of a program that's overrun by fraud, not suspicions of fraud,” she said. “If you're suspicious, it might be enough to warrant an investigation into that, but you can't or you shouldn't just shut it down. That leaves so many families like mine just wondering what's going to happen.”
Freeman said she lives paycheck to paycheck, and if she had to pay out of pocket for the full cost of child care, it would be more than the $1,400 she brings home every two weeks.
Luiza Oprea is the director and owner of Aurora Kids Learning Center, where Freeman drops off her children.
Including Oprea, seven people work at the center that cares for about 38 kids from 6 weeks old to school age, About 90 percent of families at her school rely on the government program to afford child care. She said she’s worked hard over the years to build her business.
“The worry of every teacher, every parent is, ‘What we going to do after the 31st? What's going to happen to us? What's going to happen to the parents? What's going to happen to my business? How are we going to operate?’ I cannot do it for free,” she said, pointing to her building rent, utilities, salaries, taxes and insurance she has to pay.
While she acknowledges there are some people who could be engaging in fraud, she added, “Colorado is not. I don’t think it’s one of the places that does dumb stuff like that.”
She pointed to guardrails, like a state-required check-in and check-out system and lots of inspections.
The state goes back to court on this matter on Jan. 23. Gov Jared Polis said in a statement, “Colorado will continue fighting against this unlawful attempt — and any future attempt — from the federal government to harm our fellow Coloradans.”
During a press call on Tuesday, Democratic Rep. Brittany Pettersen said the pause will impact 27,000 Colorado kids, “most of them are under the age of 3 years old. These are kiddos who need support the most, who are the most vulnerable, and the most vulnerable families.”
And others were just frustrated that this threat could harm kids.
“While the freeze is currently paused, this action should never have occurred. Children can't vote, they can't run for office. And programs that support children should never be used in political gamesmanship,” said Heather Tritten CEO of the Colorado Children’s Campaign, a nonprofit that focuses on policy and advocacy of kids.
The group is calling on all of the state’s congressional delegation to urge the White House to live up to commitments to Colorado’s kids.
Some lawmakers, however, see the best resolution coming from supporting the administration's effort to root out fraud, such as the child care fraud in Minnesota.
“I am eager for the State of Colorado to work with the Administration and encourage transparency in our processes so we can ensure funding for the legitimate programs continues,” said GOP Rep. Jeff Crank in a social media post after the Trump administration pause on child care and food aid was announced. “The faster this happens, the faster we can lift the funding freeze and reopen critical programs for those who qualify for them.”
But going through all the checks could take time. And that’s not something a lot of parents on the financial edge have.
Robbie Basham is a single parent who sends her son to Rocky Mountain Children's Discovery Center, a child care center in Fremont.
“Everybody is working and everybody is trying so hard, and we can't do it without programs like this to ensure quality and safety for our kids. Our kids are the next generation, and I really hope that this can get fixed,” she said.
