The general assembly hereby finds and declares that there is a critical need to increase services for young children and their families, including those families with members who are entering the workforce due to Colorado’s reform of the welfare system, making the transition off of welfare, or needing child care assistance to avoid the welfare […]
As used in this part 1, unless the context otherwise requires: Repealed. “Council” or “early childhood council” means an early childhood council identified or established locally in communities throughout the state pursuant to section 26-6.5-103 or 26-6.5-106 for the purpose of developing and ultimately implementing a comprehensive system of early childhood services to ensure the […]
There is hereby established a statewide integrated system of early childhood councils to improve and sustain the availability, accessibility, capacity, and quality of early childhood services for children and families throughout the state. The councils shall have consistent function and structure statewide and shall be governed by the state department of human services with input, […]
A newly established or newly identified council shall submit to the state department an application to become part of the statewide system of early childhood councils. The state department shall develop and distribute the application form and criteria and an explanation of the process for joining the statewide system of early childhood councils. The state […]
To the extent practicable, each council shall be representative of the various public and private stakeholders in the local community who are committed to supporting the well-being of children five years of age or younger. For the purposes of this part 1, each council, whether newly established in a community or newly identified to serve […]
Each early childhood council shall have, at a minimum, the following duties and functions: To apply for early childhood funding pursuant to section 26-6.5-104; To increase and sustain the quality, accessibility, capacity, and affordability of early childhood services for children five years of age or younger and their parents. To this end, each council shall […]
[ Editor’s note: This version of subsection (1) is effective until July 1, 2022.] A local council may request a waiver of any rule that would prevent a council from implementing council projects. The local council shall submit the request to the early childhood leadership commission created in article 6.2 of this title. The early […]
Counties are urged to partner with for-profit or not-for-profit organizations that evaluate the quality of early childhood care and education programs in the early childhood councils and assign ratings thereto in an effort to assess the success of such programs and to improve the ultimate delivery of early childhood care and education. Counties so partnering […]
(Deleted by amendment, L. 2005, p. 892 , § 2, effective June 2, 2005.) Repealed. School-readiness quality improvement program created. On and after July 1, 2018, and continuing thereafter subject to sufficient and available federal funding, there is created the school-readiness quality improvement program, referred to in this section as the “program”, which is administered […]
The state department shall develop and maintain a statewide voluntary child care credentialing system that recognizes the training and educational achievements of persons providing early childhood care and education. The use of the voluntary child care credentialing system must include but need not be limited to the early childhood councils. The voluntary child care credentialing […]
No later than March 1, 2010, the state department shall, through a request for proposals process, contract with a qualified individual or entity to prepare an independent evaluation of the system of early childhood councils to determine the effectiveness of the system in serving children and families throughout the state. The evaluation shall be completed […]
There is hereby created in the state treasury the early childhood cash fund, referred to in this part 1 as the “fund”, that shall consist of such moneys as may be appropriated to the fund by the general assembly and credited to the fund pursuant to subsection (2) of this section. The moneys in the […]
