Vision
All children and their families are valued socially and emotionally, healthy, and their relationships are thriving.
Mission
Increase coordination of early childhood systems, to expand prevention and promotion strategies to support the social-emotional health and development of children, ages prenatal through kindergarten transitions, throughout the region, and to ensure their success in school.
Lessons Learned
- Early Childhood Councils ARE vehicles for systemic change. When early childhood councils have the opportunity, funding, and time to engage in complex work, they are best equipped to identify and imbed sustainable solutions.
- Retaining a skilled workforce is an ongoing challenge. Over the last four years, a single pediatric practice has seen an 80% reduction in staff. Similar turnover has occurred in home visitation and early childhood education. Rural communities have difficulty attracting and keeping professionals due to lower wages and greater distance to various amenities.
- A regional approach improves relationships and results. A history of collaboration between early childhood councils in Fremont and Chaffee counties led to an efficient and effective start to LAUNCH Together work.
- Building capacity for existing workforce is essential. Professional development for existing early childhood and medical professionals has resulted in greater understanding of the importance of early social-emotional development for later school readiness and success. Service providers now assess and refer earlier and more often.
