Denver family-owned child care center expands to meet growing needs in child care desert

For Coloradans who have a child in child care, there's a good chance they had to get on a waitlist, possibly even before the baby was born. Child care shortage is an issue statewide, so there is a family-owned academy stepping up to meet the need. 

Rich Silvas loves to give tours of the Denver Child Care Academy, and quickly pointed out a photo of his mother, Florina Silvas, who purchased it back in 1998. She was an immigrant who worked her way from a janitor, learning English with the children, to eventually becoming the owner. 

"She had that deep commitment in her heart that she wanted to own her own childcare," Silvas told CBS Colorado.

Decades later, the family-owned business continues to expand.

"We serve as the largest child care center in southwest Denver, and we also have the largest playground in Denver for child care centers."

However, the demand for child care remains greater than the services it can provide.

"We have almost 100 infants on the waitlist, and so parents are just really struggling," Silvas said. 

The academy takes care of infants as young as six weeks up to 12 years of age. It's about to begin the process of expanding even more to meet the growing need, particularly with infants. 

"We're looking to add 10,000 square feet, and that is eight classrooms," Silvas said. "Four of those classrooms are going to be specifically just for infant care. That is going to be our first phase, and then, after a year, after the completion of us being open, then, we're going to expand another two classrooms and build a gym."

Silvas says southwest Denver is considered a child care desert, and the problem is only getting worse. Infants, he explains, require a smaller adult to child ratio and greater costs, meaning smaller margins. But, for the Silvas' family, the top priority is the community.

The Denver Child Care Academy plans to begin construction in 2026, and to have the entire expansion project completed by 2027.  

"We know what's the demand here in southwest Denver, and we are committed to taking care of our families, and that is infant and toddler care," Silvas said.