CCC Supports HB 1009, "Bilingual Child Care Licensing Resources"

The Colorado Catholic Conference supports HB 1009, Bilingual Child Care Licensing Resources, which promotes language accessibility and works to lower the barrier of entry for non-English speakers to obtain a childcare license.

Currently, Colorado faces a shortage of childcare providers with 51 percent of Coloradans living in child care deserts and 14 percent of Colorado families indicating that problems with finding child care led to changes in their job, including quitting. Colorado simply needs more licensed childcare providers.

The application for a license, however, is an extensive and complicated process which can discourage someone from applying. These hurdles can be inhibitive to an individual whose first language is not English, especially if there is inadequate support to guide them through the process.

Expanding bilingual services within the Department of Early Childhood would provide meaningful assistance to both prospective and active childcare license holders, ensuring that being a non-native English speaker does not preclude them from obtaining a childcare license. Furthermore, expanding language accessibility will help ensure that more bilingual providers are available for non-English speaking children.

The Colorado Catholic Conference has previously supported legislation that expands language accessibility, such as HB21-1011, Multilingual Ballot Access for Voters and HB23-1004, Language Access in Insurance Documents. Whether the issue is ballot access, insurance documents, or childcare licensing, language accessibility bills work to make Colorado more inclusive and accessible to migrants and non-native speakers.

The Catholic Church in Colorado is home to approximately 300,000 Catholic Hispanics, many of whom are not native English speakers. Part of Catholic Church teaching on care for the migrant is a commitment to breaking down language barriers and offering means for including those who are not native speakers. By passing HB 1009, Colorado lawmakers can help make childcare licensing more accessible and help to increase the supply of providers in our state.

The Colorado Catholic Conference asks for a yes vote on this bill.