Impact Blog

Letter from the Executive Director

Dec 2, 2021 | What's New?

Dear Friends of Healthy Child Care Colorado,

Here we are, almost through 2021 already. Through the many challenges we have faced, there is still much to celebrate. I feel grateful to be writing to the Healthy Child Care Colorado (HCCC) community from a place of hope and determination. HCCC continues to grow with new team members and new bodies of work, and at the same time we are committed to doing what we’ve always excelled at–providing the expertise and advocacy needed to ensure our early childhood settings and systems can flourish.

Below are some of the accomplishments we have achieved this past year. We are facing a critical period of investment in the child care sector as our nation works to grow the infrastructure needed for our country to thrive, and we can only be part of it with your support!

 

Our Team is Growing!

We added three new members to our team, all of whom bring a wealth of expertise and a commitment to our mission! We are lucky to have them!

  • Robin Levy, MA, Pyramid Coordinator
  • Sierra Hansen, M. Ed., IMH-E® Infant Family Specialist, Early Childhood Mental Health Consultant Coordinator
  • Kelly Brown, MPH, RN, BSN, Child Care Health Consultant Coordinator

Growing Our Work and Expanding Our Impact

We are delighted to share the news that Healthy Child Care Colorado is the new home for the Early Childhood Mental Health Consultation (ECMHC) Network Hub!

Thanks to support from the Buell and Caring for Colorado Foundations, we are expanding our efforts centered on early childhood social and emotional well-being and mental health.

Connecting Professionals and Improving Practice

We reached over 4,000 early childhood professionals across 57 Colorado counties through our Huddles & Trainings, which have remained a bright spot for learning and connecting during the pandemic.

“Thank you to HCCC for helping guide centers and providers through this pandemic. HCCC has been an integral part of our center reopening and staying open along with educating the community. I have received continuous information from the Huddles that has helped our program and I share this information with other programs in the community.” –  Participant in Routt County

Leadership & Advocacy

Last November, Coloradan’s overwhelmingly supported Proposition EE, establishing a voluntary universal preschool program for all four-year-old. Next, we saw historic state and federal investments to stabilize the child care sector. Finally, Colorado’s 2021 legislative session ended with a bang as HB21-1304 passed to create a state-level Department of Early Childhood.
We are seeing 2022 coming up all early childhood! Our work next year will be critical to building the early childhood infrastructure our nation needs to move forward. The early childhood sector is finally getting widespread recognition for the monumental impact we have on society, underscored by the groundbreaking research on the return on investment, economic and educational outcomes.

I couldn’t be more proud to lead this organization as we look toward building a brighter and more equitable future for children, families, and our workforce! I am grinning from ear-to-ear as I think about the opportunities on the horizon and the possibilities that the future holds. Thank you for your continued support as we continue to build safe, supportive, and healthy early childhood settings and systems where children and professionals learn and grow.

Sincerely,

Taran Schneider, MA
Executive Director