SB25-017 Will Bring Colorado in Line with National Best Practices by Supporting Two Community-Based Programs with Proven Success
DENVER, CO – Last week, Senators Lisa Cutter (D-Jefferson County) and Iman Jodeh (D-Aurora), along with Representatives Junie Joseph (D-Boulder) and Yara Zokaie (D-Fort Collins), introduced SB25-017: Measures to Support Early Childhood Health. SB25-017 advances early childhood health priorities in Colorado by codifying and strengthening two essential community-based programs that support young children and their caregivers: Child Care Health Consultants (CCHCs) and HealthySteps.
CCHCs consult with early childhood programs to ensure health and safety, support teachers, and improve the quality of care children receive. CCHCs promote the inclusion of all children, especially children with special health needs that require accommodations or support – approximately 1 out of every 5 children in Colorado. 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.
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 excluded from child care and left with inadequate support, and many children are not on track to reach healthy developmental milestones.
SB25-017 addresses this problem by codifying CCHCs and HealthySteps as state programs within the Colorado Department of Early Childhood. This, in turn, will bolster Colorado’s comprehensive early childhood system by:
- Providing a key mechanism for federal, state, and local resource investment
- Supporting coordination and collaboration with other early childhood professionals
- 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’m 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 bill, 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 Jake Williams, CEO at Healthier Colorado.
According to polling conducted by Magellan Strategies and Keating Research in December 2024, 77% of voters support continued funding to provide licensed childcare centers with access to health consultants like CCHCs. 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 is supported by ABCD Colorado, Healthier Colorado, and Healthy Child Care Colorado.
Additional information can be found in this factsheet.