Daycare Cost in El Paso County, CO

Childcare in El Paso County, CO

El Paso County, home to Colorado Springs, has a population of 740,000 and is heavily defined by its military installations — Fort Carson, Peterson Space Force Base, Schriever Space Force Base, the U.S. Air Force Academy, and NORAD at Cheyenne Mountain. Defense and military spending underpin the local economy alongside healthcare (UCHealth, Centura), the U.S. Olympic & Paralympic Training Center, and a growing tech sector. Infant care averages around $10,764 per year, well below Denver but still a meaningful expense for military E-4/E-5 families on base pay. The county's rapid population growth, driven by military assignments and families relocating from more expensive Colorado Front Range communities, has strained childcare supply.

Finding Care

Northern Colorado Springs (Briargate, Flying Horse) and the Powers Boulevard corridor have the densest childcare center networks, serving a mix of military and civilian families. The area surrounding Fort Carson on the south side has a cluster of providers familiar with military schedules and deployment needs, and on-post Child Development Centers (CDCs) are available through MilChildCare.com, though waitlists range from 3–12 months. Fountain, Security-Widefield, and the rural eastern parts of the county have fewer licensed options.

Local Resources

Child Care Connections serves as El Paso County's CCR&R, providing referrals and subsidy navigation through the Colorado Child Care Assistance Program (CCCAP). Military families should register on MilChildCare.com for on-post CDC waitlists and explore the Military Child Care in Your Neighborhood (MCCYN) program for fee assistance at participating off-post providers. El Paso County Head Start, operated by Community Partnership for Child Development (CPCD), is one of the strongest Head Start programs in Colorado, maintaining over 30 sites across the metro. Colorado Shines rates providers on a 1–5 scale.