The Center for Work Education & Employment (CWEE) supports low-income, career-seeking parents in the Denver area by offering holistic services in three tracks: foundational support (housing, childcare, transportation), wellness (trauma-informed care, emotional regulation), and employment & education (job readiness, resume/interview help, pathways into trades or college).

Because CWEE’s mission is to help families move toward stable employment and self-sufficiency, the child care crisis struck at the core of their work: without affordable, accessible care, many of the parents they serve could not reliably work, train, or retain jobs. Thus addressing gaps in childcare, policy, funding and informal caregiver supports was essential to CWEE’s ability to fulfill its mission.

Low-income families in Colorado are facing an accelerating child care crisis, with skyrocketing costs, limited availability and massive gaps in the state’s safety net. The situation worsened with enrollment freezes in the Colorado Child Care Assistance Program (CCCAP) and temporary federal funding cuts, leaving thousands of families without access to affordable care.