During the 2023 legislative session, the Colorado Children’s Campaign helped lay the groundwork for important changes to make our state’s approach to funding public schools more fair and effective. We successfully advocated for continuous coverage for the youngest kids enrolled in Medicaid – an important step toward making sure children aren’t missing important health care services. We supported new funding for family planning clinics in the state that will help improve outcomes for kids and families. We helped improve access to justice for people facing eviction, knowing that families with very young children are most likely to experience these devastating events.
We also released a KIDS COUNT in Colorado! report that featured the most comprehensive set of data on youth mental health we had ever included, including a first-of-its-kind analysis of access to mental health providers and counselors in Colorado schools. We advanced important policy conversations on issues ranging from school safety to quality in early childhood.
And we connected with our community at some of our favorite events, including our Speak Up for Kids advocacy day and our annual Connection Reception.
The motto of the Colorado Children’s Campaign is simple but powerful: Every Chance for Every Child. I am proud to lead this team as we build on our history of turning this powerful dream into reality for kids and families through equitable, evidence-based, child-centered policy, research, and advocacy.
Thank you to all our supporters and partners and team members who share this dream – and who help us make it a reality.
Onward!
Heather Tritten
President and CEO
The Children’s Campaign released the annual KIDS COUNT in Colorado! report in August 2023. Building Understanding: Youth Mental Health and Well-Being in Colorado brought together data from national, state, and local sources to spotlight trends in youth mental health and access to care. The report also highlighted promising programs and efforts to support youth mental health across the state.
For the first time, the 2023 report included quotes from young people as part of a partnership with the YouthScan Project, a statewide digital initiative that puts youth voices front and center in the decisions that impact their lives.
SPEAK UP FOR KIDS!
In 2023, our signature advocacy event, Speak Up for Kids Day, returned to an in-person
format for the first time since 2020. The event was hosted at History Colorado Center
with support from our partners at Clayton Early Learning. More than 100 attendees
learned about key issues affecting Colorado kids, shared stories, and practiced their
advocacy skills with legislators.
CONNECTION RECEPTION
The Campaign’s Connection Reception brings together Coloradans from across sectors
and across the state who are invested in the well-being of kids and families. This year,
attendees heard from Gov. Jared Polis and celebrated our first-ever Advocate of the Year
and Legislator of the Year.
Advocate of the Year
Khatira Amn, Senior Policy Advocate for Early Childhood, for her work advocating for language justice and access in early childhood and in the policymaking process.
Legislator of the Year
Representative Iman Jodeh, House District 41, for her work to support families’ economic stability, access to health care, and education.
FAMILY ECONOMIC PROSPERITY
North Star Goal: All families have safe, stable housing and the financial resources they need to support their well-being and achieve economic prosperity.
Priority Bills
Remote Access for Eviction Proceedings: HB23-1186
(Lindsay & Jodeh, Exum & Jaquez Lewis)
Allows all parties in a residential eviction proceeding to choose whether they intend to participate in person or virtually, extending an effective pandemic-era practice.
CHILD AND FAMILY HEALTH
North Star Goal: All families have comprehensive health insurance, strong social support, high quality perinatal and reproductive health services and ample amounts of healthy food.
Priority Bills
Multi-Year Continuous Eligibility for Medicaid and CHP+: HB23-1300
(Sirota & Bird/Zenzinger & Kirkmeyer)
Allows the state to provide continuous Medicaid and Child Health Plan Plus (CHP+) coverage to children from birth to age 3 and to provide 12 months of coverage for Coloradans leaving state prison.
Access to Reproductive and Preventive Health Services: SB23-189
(Moreno & Cutter/Michaelson Janet & Garcia)
Reduces surprise billing, removes patient cost-sharing for reproductive health care services offered to privately insured Coloradans, and codifies coverage of Affordable Care Act preventive services in Colorado.
YOUTH SUCCESS
North Star Goal: All youth believe they belong, feel vital to their communities, and have the resources, opportunities, and support they need to thrive in adolescence and beyond.
Priority Bills
Public School Finance Act: SB23-287
(Zenzinger & Lundeen, McLachlan & Kipp)
Creates a task force of school experts to deliver specific recommendations for a modernized, equitable, and student-centered school finance formula by January 2024.
EARLY CHILDHOOD
North Star Goal: All children have equitable, high-quality early childhood experiences shaped by well-supported families, caregivers, and educators that foster social-emotional development, health and overall well-being.
Priority Bills
Child Care Contribution Tax Credit Renewal: HB23-1091
(Pugliese & Kipp/Marchman & Rich)
Renews the Child Care Contribution Tax Credit (CCTC) for an additional three years.
Retain Revenue for Universal Preschool: HB23-1290
(McCluskie & Sirota/Moreno & Fields)
Refers a question to November 2023 voters about whether to retain excess revenue raised from Proposition EE, a ballot measure Coloradans passed overwhelmingly in 2020.
