A day in the life of a child-free Coloradan

— and the child care that makes it possible

By Shay Castle, Special to The Denver Post

Andrew Hyde woke up to an empty, quiet house. He made coffee and took his dog, Ellie Mae, for a run. The trails near his home in Boulder’s foothills were mostly empty on this mid-winter weekday.

Hyde, 42, is far removed from the world of play dates and nap times. Most of his days involve little to no interaction with children; some of his friends are parents, but he sees them infrequently. As a self-employed, semi-retired tech and startup founder, he doesn’t even need to fight school traffic as he heads down Sunshine Canyon to run errands, and there are few kids around town on a Friday afternoon.

“I know very little” about Colorado’s child care crisis, Hyde said. One thing he does know is the status quo doesn’t seem to be working — for anyone.