Now a single parent who isn’t receiving help or child support, she said, Danielle decided to stay because of the community she’s built here. She found support through food assistance programs that work with the Boulder County Farmers Market, which helped her buy more fresh vegetables and fruit. She’s renting from, and sharing household duties with, another single mom.
She got help affording childcare through the Boulder County’s Childcare Assistance Program, which is now frozen to new applicants. And she qualified for Boulder County’s direct cash assistance pilot program, which meant an extra $300 a month thatap helped keep her small household afloat.
“I can use the money to help both of us be able to live here and to nurture my son,” said Danielle, who asked to use only her first name for privacy reasons.
She said the consistency of the cash deposits, plus the freedom to use the money where itap most needed, made the program feel “very supportive.”
“Itap been super helpful to say wait, I don’t need it over here, I need it over there,” she said. “I do need food, but I also need gas. Sometimes I need it for one one thing, sometimes six things. It does give you a little bit of a buffer. I know where $300 is coming from every month.”
The Boulder County commissioners this week agreed to spend about $4.2 million to extend the direct cash assistance program for low-income parents with young children for another 15 months. The current program was set to end in September but now will go through December. The second round of the program is expected to start in January.
Funding to extend the pilot program will come from interest earned on the county’s allocation. Participants must have at least one child under the age of 4, make 30% or less than the area median income and live in Boulder County. For a family of two, 30% of the median area income is $36,150. For a family of four, itap $45,180.
The original two-year pilot started in July 2024, with more than 541 families receiving $300 a month to spend in any way they would like, including groceries, rent, childcare and medical care. Participants average two children and live in communities across the county. Many are single parents.
“Providing direct cash assistance allows parents to choose what they need for their own household,” Boulder County Commissioner Marta Loachamin said in a written statement. “The increase in costs for Boulder County families is stressful. We hope to reduce the pressures by continuing to invest in the long-term health of our whole community.”
Under the extension, current families who continue to qualify will receive $600 a month starting in January. Boulder County officials said they’re doubling the amount to account for the significant increase in the cost of living over the past few years, making it “unmanageable” for many families.
Boulder County staff members estimate at least 250 families will continue to qualify for the assistance based on having at least one child under 4 at the time of the application. Funding will allow for up to 410 families. Participants also can access voluntary financial counseling as part of the program.
For the 15-month month program extension, about $3 million of the funding, or about 82%, will go directly to participants as cash assistance. About $655,000 will go to mainly administrative costs. The commissioners also approved about $600,000 to give current participants $300 for an extra three months, to get them to the end of the year.
Boulder County officials said they made finding funding for the program a priority because of promising results from the initial group of recipients.
When surveyed at the start of the pilot, according to the county, 76% of participants reported they “often worry about monthly bills.” By February 2026, that number dropped to 44%. Similarly, the share of families who said they “often consider reducing food portions due to not having enough money” fell from 16% to 8%. Other measures that saw improvement included housing stability, reliable childcare and family well being.
Boulder tried a similar two-year program that ended in 2025 and was funded by money from the American Rescue Plan Act. gave 200 low-income households $500 per month over the course of two years. The city reported that the money made a positive impact on recipients’ lives, allowing them to purchase groceries, cover childcare needs, meet rent or pay utilities.
Loachamin wrote in an email that the county chose to focus on families with young children because the years from birth to 4 are a critical developmental window, while direct cash assistance “trusts people to make the best decisions for their own families.”
“When parents have the resources to cover basic needs, they can focus more on their kids and that builds stronger communities for tomorrow,” she wrote.
Applications for Boulder County’s second round of the program are expected to open in November. For more information, go to .
