When April Morales had her daughter in 2023, just before her junior year at Arapahoe Ridge High School, it fueled her desire to achieve more in life.
Morales maintained strong grades, enrolled in a construction class at the Boulder Technical Education Center and planned to start business courses at Front Range Community College during her senior year. Her goal was to attend college and pursue a career as an architect and business owner.
But last spring, she lost childcare funding for her now one-year-old daughter. Instead of attending her senior year, Morales now stays home and cares for her child.
“I want to study. I want to have a degree. I want to graduate,” Morales told Boulder Reporting Lab. “I had a goal set for my life, and I feel like this kind of ruined them.”
After her daughter’s birth, Morales relied on Colorado’s Child Care Assistance Program (CCAP) to cover most daycare costs, allowing the 17-year-old to focus on school and her future. But a simple mistake on her paperwork and a missed email in January led to her CCAP benefits being canceled. Previously, she could have re-enrolled, but in March 2024, Boulder County indefinitely froze new applications to the program, leaving Morales and other parents without options. Without this assistance, childcare costs Morales nearly $6,000 per semester.