The child support guidelines must be followed unless there is a valid and legal reason for deviation from the presumtive child support calculation. Contact a Colorado Divorce Mediator to discuss the particular facts of your case. Although there are many valid reasons to deviate from the child support guidelines, reduction for puposes of qualifying one party for government benefits including public supported daycare benefits is not allowed. When one Colorado court attempted to enter such an order, the county Child Support Enforcement agency appealed the ruling. The Court of Appeals ruled that it was an abuse of the trial courts discretion (an illegal order) for the Judge to enter a lower child support amount so that the parents could qualify for daycare assistance at the governments expense. Any other questions you may have regarding Colorado Divorce Mediation can also be answered with a simple phone call or email to our office.