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Back to Starting Points Home Page Project Description:
Under the leadership of Governor Roy Romer and First Lady Bea Romer, Colorado has undertaken a number of important initiatives to implement the Starting Points recommendations. Over the past two years, Colorado's general assembly has allocated more than $19 million in new funds for early intervention programs focusing on improving child health, family support, and child care programs. First Impressions, a statewide early childhood initiative, is providing technical assistance and support to help communities create programs and services for young children and families, pooling existing funds to meet their needs better, and building leadership capacity among parents and early childhood advocates. A grassroots organization, the Colorado Children's Campaign, has provided strong leadership in conceiving the new programs and in supporting their implementation.
The Colorado project includes Bright Beginnings, a major public-private initiative launched in November 1995 and cochaired by Governor Romer and Owen Bradford Butler, retired chairman of the board of Procter & Gamble Company. Bright Beginnings' goal is to "make Colorado the best state in the nation for a child to be born and raised."
One key component of the initiative is "Warm Welcome," a program that will create a spirit of celebration and support around each child's birth. The program will use trained neighborhood volunteers to visit the home of every newborn in the community to welcome the baby, give parents information about child health and development, safety, and nutrition, and link families with community resources, such as high-quality child care, parenting education classes, health care, and employment opportunities. A "Giving Your Child a Bright Beginning" parenting booklet summarizing effective parenting practices during the first three years will be distributed to every new parent visited in the program. Follow-up home visits and telephone contact will be offered to families with the greatest needs.
To address the problems of quality, availability, and affordability of early childhood programs statewide, a business commission has developed recommendations for a long-term financing plan for child care. To implement these recommendations, meetings will be convened with business leaders to develop work-family policies that are supportive of parents and to expand on-site or employer-subsidized child care.
The initiative will also emphasize the establishment of comprehensive programs throughout the state to help teenage parents continue their education and care for their children.
Bright Beginnings has attracted significant media attention. A special supplement of the Denver Post announced the goals and strategies of the initiative when it was launched in November 1995.
The Colorado Children's Campaign administers the project. Procter & Gamble, the Butler Family Foundation, Northern Telecom, Blue Cross/Blue Shield of Colorado Foundation, and the Mile High United Way have provided matching funds.
Major Program Components:
Contact:
Sharon HartmanExecutive Director
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