El Paso County’s proposed 2027 budget reflects $7.2 million drop in child-care aid
The preliminary plan recommends no operational or personnel cuts and leaves out a possible county share of new food-assistance costs pending state action.
El Paso County administrators’ preliminary 2027 budget reflects a $7.2 million reduction in state funding for child-care assistance, leaving less money available to help eligible families pay for care. The proposal recommends no operational or personnel cuts.
Chief Financial Officer Nikki Simmons told commissioners the reduction was more than a quarter of the county’s overall child-care assistance allocation. She attributed it to the county’s past program freeze and the timing of its return, as well as lower statewide funding. The proposal also estimates a $27.4 million county match for Human Services; Simmons said the estimate reflects uncertainty about the county’s 2027–28 state allocations. Simmons presented the figures at the Sept. 29 budget work session.
The Colorado Child Care Assistance Program helps eligible families pay for care and is administered by counties under state direction. El Paso County placed eligible new applicants on a waitlist effective April 20, 2026, to be offered assistance as funding becomes available. The waitlist predates this budget proposal, and the county has not said the allocation reduction caused it. The presentation did not specify how the reduction might affect the number of families served or payments to providers; the $7.2 million figure is an allocation change, not a stated cut in slots or provider rates. The county’s assistance-program page describes the waitlist and its funding condition.
The proposal excludes any possible county share of new costs for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP). Simmons said state officials were considering a matching requirement, and the county’s potential share was estimated at $8 million to $9 million, depending on state action. If a requirement began Oct. 1, 2027, about $2 million to $3 million could affect the county’s 2027 budget, she said. These are estimates, not an adopted county obligation.
The county’s budget schedule calls for commissioners to consider changes Nov. 10, with final budget documents scheduled to return Dec. 8 for requested adoption.