The Colorado Children’s Campaign is spreading a simple message: Not only is quality, affordable child care good for kids, it’s good for the economic bottom line. The implication is that communities that make smart investments can kick-start their economic recovery rather than lagging behind.

But the reality is that kids and young families in Colorado aren’t faring so well. Since 2000, the number of children living in poverty has grown faster in Colorado than in any other state, and faster in El Paso County than in Colorado on average, according to U.S. census data. In 2008, before the full force of the recession hit, nearly 15 percent of children in this county were living in poverty.

“Investing in quality early care is not just an advantage for our kids, but it’s also directly connected to our economic health,” said Chris Watney, president of Colorado Children’s Campaign, a nonpartisan Denver-based nonprofit that lobbies for children’s issues. “The data tells us that the well-being of our children affects the well-being of economic development.”

The group met in Colorado Springs on Monday with a few dozen leaders in government, the nonprofit sector and business, ranging from child care advocates to bankers.

It’s the bankers and other business leaders they want to convince, because they think private business — not government mandates — will carry the ball on investing in child care.

“I think we have to step it up more here in the Springs. And this community can do more,” said Rep. Amy Stephens, R-Monument, who has been a champion of the Colorado Children’s Campaign. “I am always pro-business, and this can be a win for business.”

So, how does good-quality, affordable child care help the local economy? Here’s an example: According to the Children’s Campaign, the rate of children living in extreme poverty in Colorado — households with an income of about $11,000 or less for a family of four — plummets when children reach school age, from 10 percent to 2 percent, because public schools provide cheap, accessible child care and allow parents to go back to work.

Although scientists say most brain development takes place from birth to age 5, our society invests much more in education from ages 6 to 18.

The early child care industry in the Pikes Peak region now generates an estimated $292 million in after-tax income, the group says, by allowing parents to work. But quality and affordability must improve, Watney said, and capacity might be stretched thin as the Fort Carson population expands.

Presenters said that a good network of early child care attracts new business, increases employee productivity and reduces absenteeism and turnover. They said it helps in the long term, contending that good early education increases the chance of college graduation and reduces costs by cutting rates of incarceration and welfare.

Jon-Paul Bianchi, early childhood initiatives director for the Colorado Children’s Campaign, outlined a continuum for business involvement. He said simple changes such as flexible scheduling for parents and child care referrals for new hires can help. On the other end of the continuum, he cited dramatic investments such as a child care center attached to the business.

He and Stephens suggested businesses start with the simple changes that represent a philosophical shift rather than a cash investment.