Lee Patterson

I never caused her any, you know...

Bad times are, you know, I never once ever hurt her.

No, never.

No.

No, I can't.

Six-month-old Daisy wakes up from a nap with pink cheeks and spiky hair.

She is so cute.

She knows it, too.

Sarah and Adam Hacktel are picking her up from Ouray Family Child Care, located in a little town down near Telluride.

When did she start here?

Today's her first day?

Yes.

How did it go?

Baby Daisy got a spot here for the winter.

Adam remembers what things were like before they found this place, back when their older son was young.

With few full-time options close by, these parents would spend nearly three hours a day getting their son to and from daycare.

And this is not unusual.

Survey data shows that for four out of five parents here, child care falls short, especially for babies and toddlers.

Last year, working families got some relief when this daycare and another opened just down the street from each other in a new affordable housing development.

What makes this different from regular in-home daycare is that the houses were built specifically for it and pre-licensed.