The West Steps

In this episode of The West Steps, we’re discussing efforts to improve language access and language justice in Colorado by making sure that critical resources and information are available in languages that are prevalent in our state. Earlier this year, Colorado’s legislature passed a bill to make sure that child care licensing resources in our state are available in Spanish as well as English.  ...

In this episode of The West Steps, we’re discussing maternal health and maternal mortality in Colorado. Unfortunately, large regions of the state have been dubbed maternal care deserts because of their very limited access to perinatal health care. Pregnancy-associated deaths in our state are becoming more common. And many of these deaths are preventable.   But Colorado has taken steps to address t...

In this episode of The West Steps, we’re discussing Colorado’s school funding formula, which is used to allocate billions of dollars annually to educate kids across the state’s 178 school districts. For the first time in 30 years, the state legislature is seriously considering updating this formula. If they can pull it off, Colorado will have a more equitable, student-centered approach to funding...

In this episode of The West Steps, we’re discussing the Family Affordability Tax Credit (HB24-1311) , a new proposal in the Colorado legislature that has the potential to reduce child poverty in Colorado by half.   Sarah Barnes, Senior Director of Policy at the Colorado Children’s Campaign and Reilly Pharo Carter, Director of Policy & Advocacy at Gary Community Ventures join us to talk about h...

Since May 2023, more than 100,000 kids and nearly 550,000 Coloradans have lost Medicaid coverage. In this episode of The West Steps, we’re exploring why so many Coloradans are losing health coverage and why it matters.  Hunter Nelson, Senior Policy Analyst at the Colorado Children’s Campaign; Bethany Pray, Deputy Director at the Colorado Center on Law and Policy; and Shoshi Preuss, Policy Manager...

In this episode, we’re diving into an effort to create a State Income Tax Credit for Careworkers, which would credit $1,500 to child care workers and caregivers, direct care workers, home health aides, and other people who work in the caring economy.    Melissa Mares, Director of Early Childhood at the Colorado Children’s Campaign; Perrine Monnet, Policy Analyst at the Bell Policy Center; and Emil...

During the COVID-19 pandemic, Colorado invested about $20 million relief dollars in out-of-school time programming, which supported 45 grantees and 60 programs across the state. But those dollars are running out, and many programs face uncertain futures. And even with this investment, the supply isn’t meeting the demand – by one estimate, nearly 400,000 Colorado kids are on a wait list for out-of-...

National research shows that families with children are more likely to experience an eviction – and that evictions can be extremely disruptive for kids’ education, health, and overall well-being. But data about what is happening across Colorado is inconsistent and hard to access. The Colorado Children’s Campaign and Enterprise Community Partners join us to talk about a new bill that would improve...

The second part of our legislative preview focuses on early childhood and child and family health. Melissa Mares, Director of Early Childhood, explains why preschool and infant and toddler care are so important to child development. Then, Toni Sarge, Director of Child and Family Health, talks about trends in health coverage and how supporting maternal care makes a big impact on kids.  You can cont...

Welcome to The West Steps! We’re excited to return as your resource for all things kids and families during the 2024 Colorado legislative session.   In the inaugural episode of Season 6, Colorado Children’s Campaign policy directors discuss what they’re anticipating and prioritizing at the capitol this year.  Part 1 of our legislative preview features Sarah Barnes, Senior Director of Policy and Di...

The Colorado General Assembly has officially adjourned! On our final episode of the 2023 legislative session, we hear from some of the Children's Campaign policy staff about how our priority bills landed this session. Senior Policy Analyst Megan Ives, Policy Analysts Lauren Corboy and Hunter Nelson, and Director of Family Economic Prosperity Initiatives Sarah Barnes join us to share how their...

Recent incidents of gun violence in Colorado have once again called into light the need for a more comprehensive approach to school safety. By creating systems in our schools that address the root causes of violence, we can ultimately improve the long-term safety and social-emotional well-being of our students and teachers.     Episode 9 of The West Steps explores school safety with Dr. Beverly Ki...

For more than a decade, the Affordable Care Act (ACA) has required that health insurance plans cover a wide range of preventive health care services at no cost to patients. However, access to some of those services is at risk after a federal court ruled last month that the ACA’s preventive services mandate is unconstitutional in a case called Braidwood v. Becerra.   The Children’s Campaign has bee...

We are now more than halfway through the 2023 legislative session! With only a few weeks remaining, the Children's Campaign is working hard to ensure that our policy priorities make their way to the governor’s desk. We continue to push for the renewal of the Child Care Contribution Tax Credit, increased access to the judicial system for evictions proceedings, equitable changes to our school f...

Play has benefits for people of all ages, but it is particularly important during early childhood. Play time, and unstructured play time in particular, is correlated with improved language skills, problem solving skills, and math skills . It also has been shown to increase physical health and alleviate stress . As Colorado develops quality standards for its new universal preschool program, set to...

Last fall, Colorado voters approved Proposition FF to establish the Healthy School Meals for All (HSMA) program. This made our state one of three in the nation to provide universal, free school meals to all public school students. By reducing tax deductions at higher income levels, HSMA creates a fund to reimburse participating school districts for every meal served. HSMA also establishes addition...

At both the ballot box and the Capitol, Coloradans have reaffirmed their commitment to reproductive justice in the past several years. In a post- Roe landscape, Colorado has positioned itself as a national leader in supporting policies and programs that allow people to access comprehensive family planning services, including abortion care, at low- to no-cost. However, the federal funds that suppor...

Hundreds of thousands of Coloradans are at risk of losing their health coverage over the course of the next year as the pandemic-era policy that has indefinitely kept people enrolled in Medicaid and Child Health Plan Plus (CHP+) is set to come to an end. Since early 2020, the complex, burdensome processes required to stay enrolled in public health coverage have been paused, resulting in a reductio...

This week on The West Steps, we discuss Colorado’s eviction process with Jack Regenbogen, Deputy Executive Director at the Colorado Poverty Law Project, and Sarah Barnes, Director of Family Economic Prosperity Initiatives at the Colorado Children’s Campaign. Sarah and Jack lay out a policy that would help keep families across the state in safe, stable housing if passed during the 2023 legislative...

Welcome to The West Steps! We are so excited to be back again as your resource for all things kids and families during the 2023 Colorado legislative session.  To kick off the inaugural episode of season 5, we are joined by Riley Kitts, Sr. Director of Policy and Government Affairs at the Colorado Children’s Campaign.   Riley provides a brief overview of how our state’s legislative session works an...

The 2022 legislative session of the Colorado General Assembly concluded on May 11 with a number of wins for kids and families. After a mad dash to the finish line, we are proud to share that all of our priority bills passed with bipartisan support! This year's legislative wins were characterized by major systemic shifts across all our issue areas. Among other successes we played a part in, we...

House Bill 22-1289: Cover All Coloradans is a monumental bill that will provide comprehensive public health insurance coverage to children, pregnant and postpartum undocumented Coloradans.  However, there is much more to this bill than what meets the eye. Behind this critical piece of legislation have been hours of dedicated engagement from a steering committee consisting of 11 directly impacted c...

Welcome back to The West Steps! Today, we return to a highly complex and often misunderstood topic: Colorado’s school funding system, and specifically local “mill levy override” funding. Leslie Colwell, Vice President for Education Initiatives at the Colorado Children’s Campaign; and George Welsh, former superintendent of Cañon City School District, join us to help make sense of this complicated c...

While many may view the governor signing a bill into law as the final step in the legislative process, this is not the case. In fact, a recently signed bill is barely halfway through the extensive journey a policy must take on its way to implementation. Why? After a bill is signed, the critical rulemaking phase beings. This process establishes in greater detail how the legislation will be implemen...

Research has proven that students are more successful when they feel safe, connected, and have a sense of belonging at school. However, indicators of student success are often centered around academic achievement, overlooking the importance of school climate in contributing to positive student outcomes. As children return to in-person learning after nearly two years of pandemic-related disruptions...