The West Steps

The 2022 legislative session of the Colorado General Assembly concluded on May 11 with a number of wins for kids and families. After a mad dash to the finish line, we are proud to share that all of o…

House Bill 22-1289: Cover All Coloradans is a monumental bill that will provide comprehensive public health insurance coverage to children, pregnant and postpartum undocumented Coloradans.  However, …

Welcome back to The West Steps! Today, we return to a highly complex and often misunderstood topic: Colorado’s school funding system, and specifically local “mill levy override” funding. Leslie Colwe…

While many may view the governor signing a bill into law as the final step in the legislative process, this is not the case. In fact, a recently signed bill is barely halfway through the extensive jo…

Research has proven that students are more successful when they feel safe, connected, and have a sense of belonging at school. However, indicators of student success are often centered around academi…

Prior to the pandemic, Colorado made significant strides in improving the quality standards of early childhood programs. However, since the onset of the public health crisis, existing structural chal…

 The U.S is the only developed country with an increasing maternal mortality rate, and in Colorado, that rate has doubled since 2008. Additionally, longstanding discriminatory policies and practices …

When kids experience extreme poverty, it can have lifelong impacts on their health and well-being. That is why it is critical we take steps to help support families who are living far below the feder…

With less than 80 days to go in the legislative session, the pace has started to pick up at the Capitol. More than 400 pieces of legislation have been introduced, and the Children’s Campaign has alre…

In Colorado, a family with two children must make less than $421 per month to qualify for the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) program. Therefore, the level of poverty a family must exp…

Without health insurance, families are one medical emergency away from financial ruin. Therefore, the security and care that health insurance provides is immeasurable. Unfortunately, many Coloradans …

Hunger has always been an issue in our state. Over the course of the pandemic, food insecurity amongst Colorado kids increased from 1 in 6 children to 1 in 3. Along with that, many families often wer…

Colorado is currently facing an early childhood worker shortage. The increased demand for educators, issues with workforce retention, and the compounding effects of the pandemic have only exacerbated…

Accurate, reliable data allow us to fully understand the health of perinatal people and their babies. Especially with the pandemic’s impact on maternal health, data are critical in providing a robust…

The Colorado General Assembly is back, which means it’s time to kick off season four of The West Steps. Episode 1 welcomes our Government Affairs Director, Riley Kitts, for an exciting conversation o…

Individualized Education Plans (IEPs) are developed to ensure children with identified disabilities receive the necessary resources and support they need to thrive in the classroom. As the transition…

In traditional early care settings, the focus is primarily on educating the child. However, from what we know about our education system, the involvement of parents and caregivers in a child’s earlie…

When people picture child care providers, many envision licensed professionals in settings outside the home. However, this is not always the case. Family, friend, and neighbor (FFN) providers may be …

For parents of young children across Colorado, navigating the early childhood system is nothing short of exhausting. The fragmented programs that are often controlled by money and politics have repea…

The passage of Proposition EE in November 2020 provided a huge increase in the number of children able to access preschool in 2023 when it goes into effect. As with any issue like this, universal pre…