FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Ian McKenzie | ian.mckenzie@state.co.us
CDEC Launches Stimulus Reporting Website
Site Showcases Early Childhood Investments In Colorado
DENVER (April 4, 2024) — The Colorado Department of Early Childhood (CDEC) has launched a new website today, hosted on its main site. The site, titled “Investing in a Stronger Early Childhood Ecosystem,” details goals, funding streams, and data for the more than 40 stimulus-funded strategies CDEC implemented to address pandemic recovery needs and strengthen Colorado’s early childhood sector. The website is designed to demonstrate the impact of more than $700 million in strategically invested federal and state stimulus funds, and present key learnings that help the industry build upon this essential work.
“Investing in an equitable and inclusive early childhood system is key to creating the future every Coloradan deserves,” said Dr. Lisa Roy, CDEC Executive Director. “I’m proud of the collaborative effort across our department and the early childhood community to support providers, increase early childhood wages, improve child care access, and implement family choice for years to come.”
The COVID-19 pandemic drastically reduced the availability of childcare resources at a time when families needed them most. Early childcare providers were often forced to close, negatively impacting families’ financial well-being and employment. It also impacted children’s growth outcomes. Research done by the National Institute of Early Education Research revealed that in the pandemic’s first year, 63,000 fewer children under the age of three received early intervention services, and 77,000 fewer three and four-year-olds received the special education support recommended for their growth and development..
CDEC’s comprehensive response led to a number of early successes in addressing these issues, including:
- $214 million distributed to 3,823 providers in all 64 Colorado counties to help keep their doors open during 2021 through 2023.
- Implementation of a teacher salary increase pilot demonstrating a 92% retention rate among participating teachers.
- 25,512 professionals across Colorado became eligible for the Early Child Professional Credential tax credit up to $1,600 per professional.
- 4,094 free introductory Early Childhood Education courses delivered to new teacher candidates.
The stimulus site will be updated monthly as the Department continues to maximize the remaining funds. To identify opportunities for ongoing learning and sustainability, Colorado Lab’s Early Childhood Evaluation Hub is coordinating high-quality evaluations of nearly 20 stimulus-funded strategies conducted by selected local and national research experts. Please see this link for the initial findings in the evaluation briefs.
For more information, please visit www.coloradoecinvestments.com. For media requests, please contact Ian McKenzie at ian.mckenzie@state.co.us.
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