SB25-017 Brings Colorado in Line with National Best Practices by Strengthening a Community-Based Program with Proven Success
DENVER, CO – Last week, Governor Polis signed SB25-017: Measures to Support Early Childhood Health into law administratively. SB25-017 advances early childhood health priorities in Colorado by codifying and strengthening HealthySteps, an essential community-based program that supports young children and their caregivers. The law was sponsored by Senators Lisa Cutter (D-Jefferson County) and Iman Jodeh (D-Aurora) and Representatives Junie Joseph (D-Boulder) and Yara Zokaie (D-Fort Collins).
HealthySteps is an evidence-based pediatric primary care program that provides support to parents of children ages 0-3 in the interest of the child’s healthy development. It provides a tiered model of services for children and their families through the integration of a trained child development expert into the clinical care team, including care coordination and on-site interventions.
There are currently 32 HealthySteps sites across Colorado serving 38,821 children – 71% of whom rely on Medicaid and 53% of whom are Hispanic or Latino.
Before birth through age 5 is a critical time for a child’s cognitive, social, emotional, and physical development. However, many of Colorado’s youngest children are not receiving appropriate developmental screenings or access to needed services in a timely manner. As a result, Colorado families are left with inadequate support, and many children are not on track to reach healthy developmental milestones.
SB25-017 addresses this problem by codifying HealthySteps as a state program within the Colorado Department of Early Childhood. This, in turn, will bolster Colorado’s comprehensive early childhood system by ensuring progress within the whole-child health and well-being domains of the Early Childhood Colorado Framework.
“The most important investment we can make is in the health and well-being of Colorado’s kids,” shared Senator Lisa Cutter. “I was proud to support this bill to help ensure that young children across our state receive the critical developmental screenings and early interventions they need to grow into healthy, successful adults.”
“The Colorado Department of Early Childhood has made significant progress on important early care and education priorities, including the launch of the Universal Pre-K program. With this law, we can elevate the department’s whole-child health and well-being priorities that are also a critical part of ensuring that every child in Colorado has a strong foundation for future health, learning, and success,” said Christina Walker, Senior Director of Policy at Healthier Colorado.
According to polling conducted by Magellan Strategies and Keating Research in December 2024, 78% of voters support continued funding to provide access to behavioral health care teams like those HealthySteps offers to families with a baby or toddler.
SB25-017 was supported by ABCD Colorado, Children’s Hospital, Healthier Colorado, and Healthy Child Care Colorado.