To better understand how the new universal preschool program could work for all, Early Milestones Colorado interviewed families in the summer and fall of 2023 about their experiences finding child care and early learning services for their preschool-aged children. We spoke to families who identified…
From Phillips County on the eastern plains to Montezuma County in the southwest, rural grantees from the Community Innovation and Resilience for Care and Learning Equity (CIRCLE) Grant Program implemented innovative projects to address child care challenges. Grantees supported and expanded the early…
Family, friend, and neighbor (FFN) child care providers are a critical part of the early childhood workforce. They make it easier for parents to work, support their families, and contribute to the economy. FFN providers face similar struggles as those providers in licensed early care and education s…
In 2021, Colorado families dealt with social and economic hardships. These hardships were more pronounced for families of color, and those headed by single women.[1] A year later, the economy had shifted, with more job opportunities but also more inflation. To learn how Colorado families were doing,…
In 2022, many Colorado families were still financially stretched. Several boosts from earlier in the pandemic ended in 2021, such as stimulus checks and the expanded Child Tax Credit.[1] In our April 2022 survey, families were still not prospering financially. Forty-four percent of survey respondent…
The COVID-19 pandemic forced many parents to leave the workforce to provide direct care and education for their children. More than 5 million children under the age of five in America live in a single-parent household, and 19% of Colorado households are headed by a single mother. As schools shif…
The COVID-19 pandemic is disproportionately affecting working women nationwide, as highlighted in a recent report from the Center for American Progress and the Century Foundation. In late summer 2020, Early Milestones and the Butler Institute surveyed over 11,000 Colorado families with children unde…
“When it comes to how mothers and their infants fare in pregnancy and delivery, race—or, more precisely, racism—matters.” —from Maternal and Child Health Inequities Emerge Even Before Birth The health and well-being of mother and baby are so tightly connected and inequitie…
Below is first person account of the power of apprenticeships for early childhood educators. Taryn Elliot shares her experience in the Child Care Innovations program offered through Red Rocks Community College. Early Milestones is proud to support the expansion of this program through the Transformi…
Why full-day kindergarten matters Full-day kindergarten (FDK) is beneficial for children, parents, and teachers. Last year, less than half (41.3%) of Colorado children met all kindergarten entry expectations. At later grades, academic gaps become increasingly harder to close, making access to early …
