Date: 07/28/2014

Final
Early Childhood and the Business Community

EARLY CHILDHOOD AND SCHOOL READINESS LEGISLATIVE COMMISSION

Votes: View--> Action Taken:
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10:45 AM -- Early Childhood and the Business Community

Representative Pettersen called the commission back to order. Mr. Burnie Zercher, representing Executives Partnering to Invest in Children (EPIC), introduced himself to the committee and gave a brief overview of his background in early childhood. He commented on the need to engage the business community in changing the landscape of early childhood. He discussed early childhood literacy and said that it is a symptom of a much larger problem: lack of engagement and nurturing environment in the first years of a child's life. He discussed the challenges of early childhood literacy and early childhood development and the importance of years 0-3 in a child's life. He commented on early brain development and a child's acuity range. He discussed the correlation between early childhood development and skills related to entry level jobs. He commented on the composition of EPIC and discussed the different representation on the board, including child care professionals. He discussed EPIC in Pueblo and said that in Pueblo only 30 percent of children are in licensed child care facilities. He said that EPIC wants to support and recognize agencies that are already engaging in early childhood development, including Catholic Charities, First Book, Early Childhood Council of Pueblo, and DHS. He said that as business leaders, they cross barriers and boundaries to develop a toolkit that addresses early childhood development and the promotion of early childhood literacy. He said that there is immediate payback for business leaders engaged in early childhood development.


10:57 AM

Representative Wilson asked for more information on whether EPIC has an employer preschool. Mr. Zercher said that EPIC does not but that it supports programs that are already in existence. Senator Kefalas asked for more information about the Family, Friends, and Neighbor (FFN) network and whether there is a role for the state to help the business community in advancing the FFN concept. Mr. Zercher commented on EPIC in Pueblo and said that it has not been very involved in the legislative arena. Discussion ensued concerning collaboration to better serve children and their families. Senator Todd thanked Mr. Zercher for his leadership and asked for more information about parental involvement and high school pregnancy rates. Mr. Zercher commented on EPIC's brown bag lunches and how they can educate children and teens about teen pregnancy and other prevalent issues. He discussed early childhood milestone pamphlets that are distributed to parents and other ways in which EPIC is trying to educate parents about issues related to childhood development. He commented on the critical importance of the first three years of a child's life and the need to educate parents and families. Representative Schafer commented on efforts in her district to support children and families. She asked about how business engagement can be expanded in early childhood education and development. Mr. Zercher commented on EPIC's goal to be in every community and its efforts to expand in the community. He said that having a business take the lead is critical to success and effective expansion of such efforts. They are in the process of identifying key business leaders in Fort Collins and Colorado Springs, for example, because the involvement of someone that has the social and business capital to touch all of the businesses is critical.


11:07 AM

Ms. Sarah Levison, Councilwoman for the City of Longmont, introduced herself to the committee and gave a brief overview of her background. She said that a few years ago she led an effort to write a policy statement on education that was passed unanimously by the Colorado Municipal League (CML). She commented on an educational framework for early childhood development. She encouraged the committee to consider early childhood up to age eight. She emphasized the blending and braiding of resources. She said that Longmont partners with its local school districts and that it supports Head Start with city resources. She commented on the importance of investing in early childhood education. She said that Longmont invests General Fund dollars in early childhood education and other social services. She stressed the importance of school choice in the community and professional development for early childhood providers. She commented on funding and suggested using cities as incubators. She said that most chambers of commerce do not realize how important early childhood development is and that more than half the jobs are going to be jobs that require at least a two- to four-year advanced degree. By not focusing on early childhood development, a community is losing jobs and trained individuals for the workforce in the long-term. She commented on the need to support young families by providing program choice and quality.


11:19 AM

Senator Todd asked how other cities responded to the statement on education that Ms. Levison referred to in her presentation. Ms. Levison commented on city involvement in early childhood education and development. She provided statistics on graduation rates for young, black men in Rochester, New York. Senator Marble asked for an example of a day in the life of an early childhood student. Ms. Gail Klapper, Director, Colorado Forum, commented on critical needs for early childhood development and the role of family and caregivers. Discussion ensued concerning early childhood education. Representative Pettersen commented on how to best prepare children to meet the needs of the landscape in the future.


11:31 AM

Representative Schafer said that the commission's website has materials posted that address the needs of children and early childhood education. She thanked Ms. Levison for bringing CML to the table and commented on the role of infrastructure in the early childhood landscape.


11:32 AM

Ms. Susan Steele, Executive Director, Temple Hoyne Buell Foundation, introduced herself to the committee. A handout was distributed (Attachment E). Ms. Steele commented on cities that have initiatives in place to support children and families. Senator Kefalas commented on Jefferson County's WorkLife partnership and distributed a handout (Attachment F). He said that there is a role for cities and municipalities to help children and create a better workforce.

14EarlyChildhood0728AttachE.pdf14EarlyChildhood0728AttachE.pdf 14EarlyChildhood0728AttachF.pdf14EarlyChildhood0728AttachF.pdf

11:35 AM

Ms. Stacy Buchanan, Vice President of Information Strategy, Qualistar Colorado, introduced herself to the committee and distributed handouts (Attachment G and H). She said that Qualistar is working with the Colorado Children's Campaign, through a grant from the Women's Foundation of Colorado, to investigate the issue of child care affordability. She discussed child care prices and said that the average price for licensed, center-based child care for an infant is nearly half the median annual income for single mothers. She said that Colorado's median income for married couples with children is approximately $85,000 compared to median income for single mother families of approximately $26,000. She discussed child care affordability by income and county.

14EarlyChildhood0728AttachG.pdf14EarlyChildhood0728AttachG.pdf 14EarlyChildhood0728AttachH.pdf14EarlyChildhood0728AttachH.pdf

11:42 AM

Representative Wilson commented on child care affordability in Colorado. Ms. Buchanan discussed variables related to child care costs and affordability. Ms. Buchanan continued her presentation and discussed factors related to why child care is expensive, including personnel costs, supply and demand, and health and quality standards. She discussed how affordability can be improved, including implementing creative financing mechanisms to expand access to subsidized care and improving the balance of supply and demand. She said that the business community needs to be incentivized and encouraged to adopt family-friendly policies that can help families afford the high cost of care. Senator Kefalas asked for more information about strategies to help families afford child care.


11:48 AM

Ms. Steele commented on the Buell Foundation and discussed its efforts to fund early childhood development. She commented on the importance of promoting early childhood and the role of private foundations. Senator Todd asked for more information about current early childhood grants provided by the foundation. Representative Wilson asked early childhood investment in Colorado and related statistics provided by the foundation and Qualistar.


11:54 AM

Ms. Klapper gave a brief overview of the Colorado Forum. She said that the forum has worked for nearly 40 years on early childhood education and commented on its efforts in advocating to increasing the numbers of slots in the preschool program. She said that children ages zero to three should be a high priority for early childhood development.


11:59 AM

Representative Pettersen announced that the working group dates will be posted and that updates will be sent out. The committee discussed which working groups would like to meet during lunch. The committee took a recess for lunch.