The tour stops in Denver to learn how advocates are advancing universal pre-k and how they’re working to fill the rest of the child care and early childhood education puzzle so children have robust support from ages birth to five.

We meet panelists Natriece Bryant, public private partnership director for the Colorado Department of Personnel & Administration; Lorena Garcia, representative for the 35th District in the Colorado House of Representatives and the executive director for Colorado Statewide Parent Coalition; and Loryn Duke, communications director for Steamboat Ski & Resort.

The three panelists speak with host Gloria Riviera about collaborating with lawmakers and the private sector to expand child care options and what creating a child care center at a ski resort, of all places, can teach us about the role employers play in meeting needs of their communities. They also tackle the important role that friend and family care plays in filling in the spaces where there are no licensed child care facilities.

Show Notes

Presented by Neighborhood Villages. Neighborhood Villages is a Massachusetts-based systems change non-profit. It envisions a transformed, equitable early childhood education system that lifts up educators and sets every child and family up to thrive. In pursuit of this vision, Neighborhood Villages designs, evaluates, and scales innovative solutions to the biggest challenges faced by early childhood education providers and the children and families who rely on them, and drives policy reform through advocacy, education, and research.

 

This season was made possible with generous support from Imaginable Futures, a global philanthropic investment firm working with partners to build more healthy and equitable systems, so that everyone has the opportunity to learn and realize the future they imagine. Learn more at www.imaginablefutures.com

This episode is made possible through the sponsorship and support of Gary Community Ventures. Gary Community Ventures combines the power of impact investments, policy and advocacy, philanthropic grants and new solutions to increase opportunities for Colorado kids and families.

We’d also like to thank our host, Rocky Mountain PBS, as well as the Colorado Children’s Campaign and EPIC for their collaboration in making this event possible.

Check out these resources from today’s episode: 

Visit Gary Community Ventures to learn about the work of improving access to child care and preschool efforts in Colorado.

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