The West Steps

Every adult can play an important role in supporting the mental health of kids—especially in the earliest years. But sometimes teachers and parents need help figuring out how to address those unique needs. Sarah Davidon of Mental Health Colorado joins us to explore this issue and share an innovative solution that legislators will consider this session to connect early educators with experts to des...

Coloradans know child care is expensive and hard to find. There are a lot of reasons—and solutions—for this. One that is rarely discussed is the workforce in early care and education. Working parents rely on these educators every day to be able to get to their own jobs, yet early childhood workers are among the lowest paid in our workforce and turnover is frequent. Bill Jaeger returns to the podca...

The Colorado General Assembly came back to the marble halls of the Capitol this week for the second session with the current crop of lawmakers. Riley Kitts, our Government Affairs Director, has talked to nearly everyone in the building this week and has insights on a few transitions, a few dramas, and a whole lot of policy priorities that could have a big impact on Colorado kids and families. Supp...

K.C. Becker, Speaker of the Colorado House of Representatives, joins us in our studios to explain how a yes vote on Prop CC this November would allow Colorado communities and families to share in our rapid economic expansion. K12 schools, transportation and higher education would benefit from increased public investments—without raising taxes. Listen in to understand how Proposition CC would mirro...

Last week, Myra Jones-Taylor inspired and challenged a room full of dedicated children’s advocates to “make good on the promise of our field” at our 2019 Annual Luncheon. We also recorded the first-ever episode of The West Steps! Our CEO and President Kelly Causey breaks down how the Colorado Children’s Campaign makes its policy agenda and how employing an equity lens has impacts the charge to mak...

What happens after a bill becomes a law? In the case of the Maternal Mortality Review Committee legislation, a whole lot. Shivani Bhatia, Maternal Health Coordinator for the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment, joins us to reveal all the gears set in motion in the past few months to reduce maternal mortality in Colorado. To learn more about our maternal mortality prevention progra...

Our summer episode of The West Steps includes the diverse voices of leaders in our statewide It’s About Kids Network. Each year we gather with them at a two-day retreat to examine progress for kids during the legislative session. Then we explore issues facing kids in leaders’ communities to kick off the next year of policy advocacy for Colorado children. Hear Network Manager Katie Creedon and a fe...

We go deep into what really happened under the Gold Dome for our official season finale (expect special editions throughout the summer). Riley Kitts spent hundreds of hours this session lobbying legislators and advancing Children’s Campaign priority legislation. Hear his insights on what really went down, including a look at all the maneuvers and shenanigans at the end—and he reviews the successfu...

Bills to provide dental benefits to pregnant women and fight trends in maternal deaths have failed in recent years. In the past few weeks, both proposals—and many others—have successfully passed the legislature. One even had the unanimous support of all 100 Colorado legislators. What happened? Erin Miller, VP of Health Initiatives, joins us to discuss the shifts in media, advocacy and community-le...

One of the biggest public health successes in Colorado in the past decade has been the drastic drop in the teen pregnancy rate. We examine barriers that remain—and new obstacles at the federal level. Join Erin Miller, Vice President of Health Initiatives, and Samantha Espinoza, Policy Analyst, to explore how preventing unplanned pregnancies and ensuring teens have access to comprehensive sexual ed...

There’s no time like tax season to better understand how advocates use our federal and state tax codes to remove barriers to financial security for Colorado families. Bill Jaeger joins us to explore the pros and cons of tax credits —and spell out what they mean for state and family budgets. These are the things TurboTax doesn’t explain.  Support the show Follow the Children's Campaign on Inst...

The U.S. Constitution requires an “enumeration” of every person living here every 10 years. It takes you a few minutes to fill out your census form, but it takes our federal government a full decade to gear up to count us all. Everyone—especially young children—need to be counted to ensure our political, financial, social and government systems are equally applied across our country. Listen in as...

Our Government Affairs Director, Riley Kitts, explains how six people decide to spend Colorado’s entire $30 billion public budget in one year. You’ll be surprised about how long it takes for the “long bill” to come together, and some of the maneuvers legislators attempt to steer money to their priorities. It’s the one single bill that legislators are required to pass and many other bills are depen...

Advocates and legislators in favor of full-day kindergarten have secured $185 million to ensure every child who wants it can access a full day of the foundation year in their K-12 education. Now that the money is secured, advocates still need to pass a bill through the legislature—and that begins April 9 with the first hearing. Bill Jaeger comes back to bring us up to date on this endeavor, and ho...

Go behind the scenes of our advocacy day, Speak Up For Kids , and hear directly from advocates as they navigate the marble halls of the Colorado State Capitol looking for legislators to lobby. Their experience may surprise you, and make you think about how much power your story has.  Support the show Follow the Children's Campaign on Instagram , Facebook , Twitter , LinkedIn , and YouTube .

We know how many Colorado children live in poverty, and what causes family economic security. Sarah Barnes, Manager of Special Policy Initiatives, joins us to illuminate some of the emerging policy solutions to childhood poverty. From child tax credits to housing security, these solutions are innovative and possible–if legislators can find the political will to move them forward.  Support the show...

Educators and child behavior expert, Dr. Rosemarie Allen , joins us this week to explore the racial disparities in decisions to remove young children from school. Young black children and boys are much more likely to be suspended and expelled for similar behaviors as their peers. Dr. Allen shares her years of research—rooted in her own experience of being pushed out of school repeatedly at a young...

In-person advocacy is the most effective way to make change, but it can also be the most intimidating. Advocacy Manger Jacy Montoya Price shares with us how the real and authentic experiences of Coloradans can have the biggest impact on legislators and policymaking. She brings us into the Capitol to explore how joining coalitions, delivering testimony, and talking directly with legislators is the...

Stephanie Perez-Carrillo joins us to unpack the complicated layers of policy that make it hard for some low-income high school kids to get a school lunch in Colorado without going into debt. Fortunately, one answer to this problem is innovative—and is gaining traction among members of the Colorado General Assembly. Stephanie’s expertise in this area comes from her deep analysis of this issue, and...

This week survivors and family of unnecessary deaths of new mothers join Beza Taddess to recount their tearful testimony before legislators. Amanda Curtis of Fort Collins, a survivor of a near-death childbirth experience, and Adele Marshall, a Colorado Springs mother who lost her daughter and grandson in childbirth, share why they decided to speak up and what it was like to share their stories at...

Riley Kitts returns to updates us on the lightening progress of proposed legislation impacting kids, and demystifies the budget blueprint that legislators will be putting together in the coming weeks. Also known as The Long Bill, this spending outline lays out how Colorado will spend $29 billion in the next year. Understanding how this works is a critical part of ensuring Colorado is investing in...

This week on The West Steps we untangle school finance in Colorado. It starts in an unexpected place: huge variations in local property tax rates that no Coloradan has ever voted on or had a say in. We’re not just talking about local decisions by voters to raise money for school technology or special programs. The problem goes deeper than you think—but there is a potential solution. Listen in with...

In Episode 3 we dive into a mysterious rise in maternal mortality in Colorado in recent years with Erin Miller, Vice President of Health Initiatives at the Colorado Children’s Campaign. We have a shared responsibility to foster the human potential that lies within our mothers and children, which begins with understanding why deaths among Colorado’s pregnant and postpartum population has nearly dou...

This week we sat down to talk to our Vice President of Early Childhood and Policy Initiatives about Colorado’s ambitious plan to provide full-day kindergarten to all Colorado kids. We were surprised what we didn’t know about this long-time priority of educators and advocates. Bill explained how Gov. Jared Polis’ budget proposal would fully fund full-day kindergarten and expand preschool significan...

The West Steps of the Colorado State Capitol belong to advocates. Yes, tourists stop by to take selfies with the “mile high” marker and politicians often make speeches there. But the rest of the year it is the domain of activists. The people who rally there demand changes in our laws, society and culture. It is where policymaking meets the public.  We’ve named our new podcast “The West Steps” beca...