We often talk about “the cost of child care,” but rarely about what happens when a parent starts earning just a few dollars more and suddenly loses critical supports.

These financial cliffs, where benefits like CCAP or SNAP abruptly disappear, aren’t just administrative issues. They’re warning signs of systems that fail to see the full picture of what families need to thrive.

When we focus only on the school day, we miss the ecosystem that surrounds a child’s success. Kids spend roughly 20% of their time in school, but the other 80% is where learning, safety, and connection are reinforced. It’s during these hours that after-school programs, youth centers, and community spaces become extensions of stability.

Thriving children don’t just come from strong classrooms; they come from strong communities where families have access to food, stable housing, and trusted adults who nurture belonging and resilience. These are the conditions that sustain learning and safety long after the dismissal bell rings.

That’s why financial cliffs and fragmented systems matter. When supports drop off too quickly, the ripple effects reach far beyond the household- into schools, neighborhoods, and the long-term well-being of cities themselves.

At Piñon, we partner with governments, nonprofits, and philanthropy to help them see and strengthen those transitions between programs, between systems, and between moments in a child’s life. Our consulting work helps leaders align dollars, policy, and practice to ensure that the 80% of time kids spend outside school is supported, protected, and celebrated, because thriving communities start with thriving children.

If your city, organization, or foundation is exploring how to better connect learning, safety, and stability, let’s schedule time to connect. Together, we can identify where your investments can have the greatest impact.

Denver continues to face a significant infant child care gap that mirrors a national challenge but has deep local roots.

Nearly half of all young children in Denver are cared for by Family, Friend, and Neighbor (FFN) providers, the grandmothers, aunties, friends, and trusted community members who step in when formal care options fall short. Many of these caregivers provide care during nontraditional hours, reflecting the realities of today’s workforce. Parents and caregivers working nights, weekends, or multiple jobs rely on care that meets their families where they are.

This is not a question of quality. It is a gap in systems and a reflection of how our policies and funding structures have failed to evolve alongside the needs of families. FFN care is high-quality, rooted in trust, culture, and adaptability. It began as a community-driven solution to a lack of access, affordability, and flexibility.

As efforts to consolidate or streamline early childhood systems move forward, it is essential that these changes strengthen, not overshadow, the local providers and communities doing this work every day. Consolidation can bring needed alignment and efficiency, but only when it honors the relationships, culture, and trust that make care accessible and meaningful for families.

Closing this gap requires collective action. Businesses can lead by investing in partnerships that expand access to in-home and community-based care, recognizing that a stable workforce depends on reliable child care. Policymakers can advance solutions that protect and grow funding for early care and education, valuing FFN providers as essential partners in our early learning ecosystem.

At Piñon Advising, we work alongside governments, nonprofits, and community partners to design equitable, culturally relevant systems that meet families where they are and strengthen the early childhood workforce that sustains our communities. Together, we can build systems that reflect the realities of today’s families, not the assumptions of the past.