Child Care Assistance for Colorado Educators

When Educators Struggle to Afford Care for Their Own Children

Colorado educators dedicate their careers to caring for, teaching, and supporting our children. Yet many educators who are also parents of young children face a difficult reality: the rising cost and limited availability of child care can make remaining in the profession financially unsustainable.

Nearly 1 in 3 educators do not make it beyond their fifth year in the profession [Colorado Dept. of Education]. While there is no single reason educators leave, we know that family economics matter. For educators with children from birth through age five, child care can represent one of the largest expenses in a household budget.

The John & Janet Buckner Education Fund believes this is more than a family challenge.

Child care is workforce infrastructure.

When educators cannot access affordable, reliable care for their own children, families feel the strain, schools risk losing talented professionals, and communities lose the experience and continuity strong education systems depend on.

Advancing Access | Strengthening Educators | Expanding Opportunity

The Colorado Educator Stability Fund was created to address this challenge directly.

The program is designed to support Colorado K–12 educators with children from birth through age five by helping bridge the gap between what a family can reasonably afford to spend on child care and the actual cost of care in their community.

Using the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services' 7% child care affordability benchmark as a guide, the Fund’s assistance will help reduce the portion of child care costs that can place significant pressure on educator families. Funds are paid directly to the family's child care provider.

We also recognize that quality care does not look the same for every family. 

Educator families may rely on licensed early learning centers as well as Family, Friend, and Neighbor caregivers. These trusted caregivers are an essential part of Colorado's child care ecosystem, particularly for families who need flexible schedules, culturally responsive care, community-based options, or who live in areas where traditional child care is difficult to access.

By supporting the range of care arrangements families actually use, we can expand access while respecting the needs, cultures, and communities of Colorado's educators.

A Legacy Built on Removing Barriers

The Fund's work is rooted in the lives and values of John and Janet Buckner, who devoted their careers to expanding educational opportunities and strengthening Colorado communities.

Both began their careers as educators.

John served for 35 years as a principal and administrator in the Cherry Creek School District. While leading Overland High School, he saw teenage parents missing school because they lacked child care. He brought community partners together and raised the resources to establish an on-site child care center so they could continue their education. Over time, teachers began bringing their own babies to the center as well.

That experience reflected a belief John carried throughout his career: when child care becomes a barrier to education or employment, remove the barrier. It is also why the Colorado Educator Stability Fund became the Fund’s first initiative, carrying forward that same practical commitment to educators and families.

Janet began her career teaching students with disabilities and later spent nearly a decade serving in the Colorado General Assembly, where education remained central to her work. As a legislator and Chair of the Senate Education Committee, she helped advance policies expanding educational opportunity, including Colorado's Universal Preschool program.

Their shared philosophy was simple: listen, identify the barrier, and build a practical solution.

The John & Janet Buckner Education Fund carries that philosophy forward.

Investing in Educators Means Investing in Colorado

When an educator can remain in the profession because child care becomes more affordable, the impact extends far beyond one household.

A family gains greater financial stability.

A child gains access to consistent early care and learning.

A school retains an educator whose knowledge and relationships matter to students.

A child care provider receives resources that strengthen the broader early childhood ecosystem.

And a Colorado community becomes stronger.

Our mission is to strengthen communities by stabilizing the educator workforce and expand access to affordable high-quality early childhood education. At the heart of this work is a simple belief:

When we support the people who educate Colorado's children, we strengthen families, schools, and communities.

Your gift to the Colorado Educator Stability Fund will help us build the resources needed to launch our inaugural cohort and turn that belief into action.