Child care concerns rise as parents head back to work in Southern Colorado

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (KRDO) - Dozens of parents have reached out to KRDO saying their child care facility is closed or full due to COVID-19 restrictions, and they're unsure what to do as they head back to work this week.

The Safer-at-Home order has many retailers, personal service workers, and office employees going back to work this week, but because of social distancing regulations requiring groups of ten children per room, some child care centers are open at a limited capacity, and some can't afford to open back up at all.

The situation is leaving hundreds of parents in limbo: with a job, but no one to watch their children while they go to work.

To search for licensed child care programs in your area, you can check out the state-run website, Colorado Shines.

There are specific child care options available for essential workers, for free or at a reduced cost, as part of the Colorado Emergency Child Care Collaborative. You can find more information here on the state's website.

Whether you're an essential worker or not, the governor's most recent executive order encourages workplaces to accommodate people who need to stay home with children due to lack of available child care, so you could try asking to work from home.

If that's not possible, you might qualify for financial assistance from the state and/or federal government while you're out of work.

To see if you qualify for regular unemployment assistance, you can file a claim on the state's website.

In addition to the usual unemployment benefits, the federal CARES Act is providing 600 dollars a week (until the end of July) to any "individual who is the 'primary caregiver' of a child who is at home due to a forced school or child care facility closure that directly results from the COVID-19 public health emergency." By filing a claim through the state, you can also find out if you qualify for the Federal Pandemic Unemployment Compensation.

We plan to speak with a number of parents who've found themselves with child care issues in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic today. We'll have the full story tonight on KRDO at six.