HB21-1304 (Sirota & Garnett/Fenberg & Buckner) Early Childhood System

Position

The Colorado Children’s Campaign strongly supports this bill because we know early childhood is a critical period in child development that dramatically shapes a child’s subsequent education and life experiences. Children who have a strong start are on a path to school readiness and life success. Those who face disruptive levels of adversity face a lifetime of challenges in overcoming their foundational experiences. Despite the long-term impact of the early years, this is the time when families have the least support and children face the greatest hurdles to opportunity. This is the age when children are most likely to live in poverty, most likely to experience homelessness, least likely to have access to child care and preschool, and when families are earning the least amount of money in their careers. We’ve heard from community leaders, parents, and educators from around the state who have asked for an end to the fragmentation of the early childhood system. Due to unprecedented investments in early learning now and anticipated to come, Colorado has a unique opportunity to emerge from the pandemic stronger than before, better supporting our state’s families and significantly bolstering our economic recovery.