§ 26.5-1-102 — Legislative intent

(1) It is the intent of the general assembly
that the department of early childhood shall work with other state and local
agencies, public and private early childhood providers, head start agencies,
nonprofit organizations, and parents and families to:

(a) Provide high-quality, voluntary, affordable early childhood opportunities
for all children in Colorado;

(b) Coordinate the availability of early childhood programs and services in
Colorado to meet the needs of all families;

(c) Establish state and community partnerships that provide for a mixed
delivery of child care and early childhood programs through school-based and
community-based providers;

(d) Ensure that parent and community input are prioritized in the continuing
design and implementation of programs and policies affecting children and
families;

(e) Maximize the efficient use of resources to ensure that parents, children,
and early childhood program and service providers are prioritized and receive the
greatest level of investment and financial support with the lowest possible
administrative burden;

(f) Prioritize the equitable delivery of resources and supports for early
childhood;

(g) Unify within the department the administration of child care and early
learning programs to effectively and efficiently support a streamlined parent and
provider experience and to support a diverse array of providers of early childhood
care and learning services. Unification of the programs must include:

(I) Development of a common program application process, which, to the
extent practicable, is accessible in families' preferred languages, to streamline the
eligibility and enrollment experience for families;

(II) Quality program standards that support child development and
successful transitions to elementary education and are aligned and integrated with
standards from other early care and learning programs; and

(III) Focus on recruitment and retention strategies, including strategies
designed to recruit and retain individuals from different cultural backgrounds, and
compensation strategies for the early care and learning workforce to elevate and
support the workforce across all care and learning settings; and

(h) Improve outcomes for children and families through:

(I) Strategies that support recruitment, training, and compensation of the
early childhood workforce, including strategies designed to recruit and retain
individuals from different cultural backgrounds;

(II) Implementation of evidence- and practice-based best practices in
education, family support, and child development with a focus on continuous
improvement and innovation;

(III) Program evaluation for continuous improvement, including monitoring
metrics that promote transparency and efficiency of administration, program
quality assessment, and child and family outcomes and accountability, which are
reported annually and must address removal or reduction of access barriers,
realization of administrative or financial efficiencies, and progress toward achieving
the department's mission;

(IV) Alignment with state and federal requirements under the state
Exceptional Children's Educational Act, part 1 of article 20 of title 22, and part B
and part C of the federal Individuals with Disabilities Education Act, 20 U.S.C. sec.
1400 et seq., as amended; and

(V) Education and training regarding how to identify and address child and
family trauma and support a trauma-informed approach to early childhood.

Legislative History

Source: L. 2021: Entire title added, (HB 21-1304), ch. 307, p. 1847, � 4, effective July 1, 2022.