Denver Early Childhood Council

SYSTEMS BULDING: In the Councils Early Childhood Systems Building & Advocacy efforts, we worked to improve access to high-quality education, support providers, and advise policies that benefit children and families across Denver and beyond. Our team actively engaged in statewide and local initiatives to shape a stronger early childhood system. The Council collaborated with over 110 partners from government, nonprofit, and business sectors to tackle key challenges, fostering cross-sector cooperation. As part of the Early Childhood Council Leadership Alliance, the Council coordinated with councils across Colorado to push for a stronger statewide system. DECC also supported local and statewide legislation and advocated for federal investment in early care, child abuse prevention, the Strengthening Families Act, and the Child Tax Credit. DECC hosted the Denver Director Equity and Advocacy Group, providing directors with a platform to address key issues. Through this work, we facilitated discussions between community providers and the governors office on the implementation of Colorado Universal Preschool. DECC staff led efforts to support career navigation for early childhood professionals, focusing on recruitment, workforce development, and retention. As part of the Early Childhood Leadership Commissions Early Childhood Workforce Development Subcommittee, DECC advocated for higher education resources, better compensation, and professional development access for the early childhood workforce.

CAREER PATHWAYS: The Career Coaching program played a pivotal role in addressing the challenges faced by early childhood professionals. It served as a significant resource for recruiting new talent into the field while also providing support to retain the existing workforce by working 1-1 with 538 individuals, with 80% of participants rating career coaching from the Council as imperative to the workforce. The Council continued to offer high-quality training for early childhood professionals, with a remarkable 70% surge in participation of professional development trainings compared to the previous fiscal year. This growth reflects the increasing demand for professional development opportunities among ECE providers and underscores the value of the Councils offerings in strengthening the early childhood workforce. The introduction of training programs in additional languages, such as Dari and Farsi, contributed to an 85% increase in non-English training sessions, broadening the reach of our services to a more diverse group of ECE professionals and fostering greater inclusivity within the community. The Conscious Discipline Training equipped educators with practical strategies for emotional regulation, conflict resolution, and classroom management, helping them create safe, supportive, and nurturing environments for children. That training alone served 488 participants with in-depth training courses and provided $70,000 worth of materials to 91 child care programs for educators to implement the strategies they learned during training. The Rocky Mountain Early Childhood Conference continued to be a hub of innovation, knowledge-sharing, and collaboration for professionals and advocates in the early childhood education field and served over 1,500 attendees with 154 sessions from 209 presenters. 96% would recommend RMECC to a friend or colleague and 87% of the attendees said the event met their expectations and professional goals.