HISTORY AND EVOLUTION
Denver’s Early Childhood Council is one of 34 Early Childhood Councils across Colorado. Early Childhood Councils were established by legislation to facilitate local collaboratives of public and private stakeholders working in close partnership.
The goal is to ensure that the youngest children are ready for school and families have the support they need to thrive.
Families with young children need support from different and distinct systems. These include health care, mental health care, child care, nutrition support, and other resources. Without Early Childhood Councils serving as the “hub” of early childhood services in local communities, Colorado families often struggled to access essential support.
Denver’s Early Childhood Council, originally called the “Joint Council”, was established in 1992 by then Denver Public Schools Superintendent Evie Dennis and Denver Mayor Wellington Webb. The initial goals were to coordinate across systems to better meet families’ needs and to support quality improvement in Denver’s child care programs.
Since that time, our role in coordinating early childhood services, building and maintaining strong partnerships, and sustaining a strong early childhood system has grown and evolved. Today Denver’s Early Childhood Council works across the three early childhood domains in the Early Childhood Colorado Framework: Learning and Development, Health and Well-Being, and Family Support and Education.
Denver’s Early Childhood Council became an independent 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization in 2011.
30 YEARS OF IMPACT
Learn more about the shared history and collective impact of Colorado's 34 Early Childhood Councils.
WORKING ACROSS SYSTEMS TO MEET LOCAL NEEDS
“In a state where so much problem-solving happens at the community level, we need entities that work across systems locally to make the connections, facilitate the local conversation, and serve as the intermediary between children, families, providers, and public systems. Early Childhood Councils have been that connective tissue at the local level in Colorado to advance the needs of young children and their families.”
– Bill Jaeger, Colorado Children’s Campaign