Denver cut its ride contract for children in foster care by $790,000 and added Head Start money in one block vote

Two contracts serving Denver children passed the City Council on Oct. 26 without a separate vote, as part of the consent block of routine items (meeting). One shrinks the city's door-to-door ride service for children involved with child welfare. The other nearly triples a Head Start contract.

Why it matters: both programs serve young children and families who depend on city services, and the changes show up only in contract paperwork, not in the budget debate that dominated Monday night.

Rides for children in foster care: $790,000 less

The Department of Human Services contract with HopSkipDrive, Inc., 26-1495, had a $1.5 million ceiling for 2024 through 2026. The amendment lowers that to $710,000 and extends it two years, through Dec. 31, 2028.

The department's request gives two reasons: "current budget limitations and lower-than-anticipated expenditure under the contract" (request). In other words, the city had not been spending the full amount.

According to the request:

• County human services agencies must transport students in foster care to their school of origin when that is in the child's best interest, under the federal Every Student Succeeds Act. Those rides are the contract's priority.
• The city is reimbursed for 90% of those federally required rides.
• The contract also covers other rides "in the best interest of the child," such as medical appointments, therapy and supervised parenting time. The request notes that foster families often care for several children with competing needs.
• HopSkipDrive was chosen through a competitive process.

The request does not say how many rides the city has provided, or whether any services were reduced.

Head Start: 128 slots, $957,199 more

The Office of Children's Affairs contract with Catholic Charities and Community Services of the Archdiocese of Denver, 26-1498, adds $957,199 for a new total of $1,452,199 for the program year ending June 30, 2027 (request).

Catholic Charities is a delegate agency for Denver Great Kids Head Start, the city-run Head Start program, providing 108 Head Start and 20 Early Head Start slots. It coordinates curriculum and academic and community supports, according to the request, and was selected through a competitive process.

What our records add

How they passed. Both went through the Council's Health and Safety Committee by consent on Oct. 14 and were adopted Oct. 26 in the consent block, which passed 11-0. Amanda Sandoval was absent (roll call). No member called either one out for a separate vote.

Related Head Start votes. The city also contracts with Denver Public Schools as a Head Start delegate agency, a contract the Council approved in August 2025, 25-1103. In October, it approved an agreement with the University of Colorado for nutrition education and food access across Denver Great Kids Head Start, 26-1380.

Other items in the same block. The Oct. 26 consent block also included a $7.5 million, five-year on-call contract with Orion Environmental for asbestos and mold removal and emergency response, 26-1490, and a nine-year airport retail concession for 5280 Activewear on Concourse B, 26-1491. Our roundup of long-term contracts has details.

What's next

The HopSkipDrive contract now runs through 2028 and the Head Start contract through June 2027. Any further change to either would come back to a Council committee. Questions about either program go to the city's Department of Human Services and Office of Children's Affairs.