In the first years of life, a child’s brain is developing rapidly. More than one million new neural connections are being formed every second, setting the stage for children to acquire skills like working memory, language development, and self-control. The early years are the most effective time to invest in nurturing, quality learning experiences, and promote physical and social-emotional health to lay a strong foundation for later learning, achievement, and adult productivity.

When children and their families have access to quality, enriching early experiences, healthy beginnings, quality affordable child care and early childhood education, their long-term academic and life outcomes improve. The investments we make between birth and age eight achieve some of the best financial and social returns, including healthier, happier children; a more educated population; and ultimately, a stronger and more stable economy for our state.

Three decades of research show that quality early childhood care and education contribute to the development of cognitive skills, social-emotional skills, and character skills including attentiveness, persistence, motivation, self-control, and teamwork. We know that when children are ready for school before kindergarten, they are more likely to be successful students, read at grade level by the end of third grade, and graduate from high school on time.

Unfortunately, among the 44 states with state-supported preschool programs, Colorado ranks 38th in spending, 27th in access to preschool for 4-year-olds, and 12th in access for 3-year-olds. Although Colorado’s state spending on preschool is low by comparison, the Colorado Preschool Program (CPP) is an effective program that meets four out of 10 quality standards of the National Institute for Early Education and Research and consistently shows school readiness gains for Colorado children who face the most barriers to opportunity. In fact, longitudinal data show children at risk of low achievement (due to the effects of racism or low incomes) who participate in the Colorado Preschool Program outperform their peers who did not participate in the program. This is true in every area of state assessment (reading, writing, math and science) through the ninth grade.

Because quality early childhood experiences are critical to promoting healthy children and families, educational success, and ultimately ending the cycle of poverty, ECCLPS advocates strongly for expanded access to quality early childhood programs and continued improvements in program alignment and efficiency.

Specifically, we are focused on the following policy priorities:

• Ensuring Access to High-Quality Child Care
• The quality of a child's developmental and early learning experiences plays a critical role in ensuring their future success. Offering low-income families access to high-quality, affordable child care is at the forefront of our advocacy agenda.
• Building a Strong Early Childhood System
• We're working to build a strong early childhood system in Colorado that aligns programs, allows for the blending of multiple financing streams, promotes the sharing and tracking of data, and establishes common performance outcomes.
• Focusing On Early Literacy
• Multiple studies of learning have confirmed the importance of third grade reading proficiency as a predictor of school and career success. ECCLPS works with advocates and policymakers to close gaps in early literacy.
• Ensuring School Readiness with High-Quality Preschool and Full-Day Kindergarten
• Children who face greater barriers to opportunity and attend high-quality preschool and full-day kindergarten are less likely to fall behind their better resourced peers later in school. Our focus is on expanding access to high-quality preschool and full-day kindergarten.