How to start a daycare in Colorado.
Colorado Department of Early Childhood (CDEC) licenses child care centers in Colorado. These are the steps, each with the state's own page.
Steps checked on the state's own pages, November 4, 2026.
Opening a child care center in Colorado, step by step
Create a Provider Hub account
Make a username and password in the Provider Hub. You send your application online there.
Source: Child Care Licensing and AdministrationGet zoning approval
Before your license is issued, send CDEC written approval from your local zoning department.
Source: 8 CCR 1402-1 Child Care Facility Licensing Rules and RegulationsPass health and fire inspections
Get approving inspection reports from your health department and your local fire department.
Source: 8 CCR 1402-1 Child Care Facility Licensing Rules and RegulationsGet fingerprinted
Each applicant has fingerprints taken at a vendor the Colorado Bureau of Investigation approves.
Source: 8 CCR 1402-1 Child Care Facility Licensing Rules and RegulationsApply at least 60 days ahead
Send your complete application at least 60 days before you plan to open.
Source: 8 CCR 1402-1 Child Care Facility Licensing Rules and RegulationsPass the licensing inspection
A licensing inspection and background checks must be done before you open.
Source: Child Care Licensing and Administration
At a glance
- Who licenses centers
- Colorado Department of Early Childhood (CDEC), Division of Early Learning Licensing and Administration (DELLA). Licenses child care centers and other non-home child care facilities, and family child care homes.Source: Child Care Licensing and Administration
- Non-home facilities include
- Child care centers, school-age centers, preschools, resident camps and neighborhood youth organizationsSource: Child Care Licensing and Administration
- First license
- May be provisional, for the first 6 months onlySource: 8 CCR 1402-1 Child Care Facility Licensing Rules and Regulations
- Permanent license
- Stays in effect until it is given up or taken awaySource: 8 CCR 1402-1 Child Care Facility Licensing Rules and Regulations
- Health and fire inspections
- Again at least every 2 yearsSource: 8 CCR 1402-1 Child Care Facility Licensing Rules and Regulations
Good to know
- In Jefferson, Clear Creek, Gilpin, Arapahoe, El Paso and Pueblo counties, a contractor gives licensing services.Source: Child Care Licensing and Administration
- To take part in the Colorado Universal Preschool Program, a child care facility must be licensed.Source: Legal Exemption from Child Care Licensing
- Lived outside Colorado in the last five years? Request background checks from each state you lived in.Source: Background Checks
Run a program in Colorado? Bloomily handles enrollment, billing, check-in and family messages. See how it works
Plan your program
- How to start a home daycare in Colorado
The kinds of home daycare the state allows, and the steps.
- Colorado licensing guide
Ratios, trainings and the checklist the state asks for.
- Child care grants in Colorado
Grants the state runs for providers.
- Daycare startup costs in Colorado
Revenue, staff pay and rent from your own numbers.
- Daycare business plan
How to write a plan for funding and licensing.
- Tuition calculator
Typical rates by state and age group.
- Ratio calculator
Staff needed for each age group, by state.
Questions, answered
How do I start a daycare in Colorado?
The first step: Create a Provider Hub account. All 6 steps are on this page, each with the state's own link.
Who licenses child care centers in Colorado?
Colorado Department of Early Childhood (CDEC), Division of Early Learning Licensing and Administration (DELLA). Licenses child care centers and other non-home child care facilities, and family child care homes.
About this page
Steps checked on the state's own pages, November 4, 2026.
This page is a summary of the state's own pages. It is not legal advice, and rules change.
Questions about childcare in Colorado?
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