Early Milestones Colorado

09/01/2026

Parents with children under 8, we want to hear from you! Early Milestones is asking families across Colorado to share what well-being looks like for them and what kinds of support they need. Your experiences and ideas can help us better understand what families need and inform future policies and advocacy. The survey is anonymous, and your responses will only be shared as part of the overall results. Please take a few minutes to complete the survey by clicking the link below. By doing so, you will enter a raffle for a chance to win a $50 gift card!

https://ow.ly/URRp50ZHVXZ

09/01/2026

Thank you to everyone who joined our session at the Strengthening Colorado Families and Communities Conference!

We enjoyed sharing ideas and learning alongside others committed to elevating family voice in the work that impacts children and families. If you're looking for practical strategies to engage diverse community members, our Family Voices Workbook is a great place to start.

🔗 Explore the Workbook:https://earlymilestones.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/02/Elevating-Family-Voices-Workbook_Fillable-Version_English.pdf

08/26/2026

Calling all Infant and Early Childhood Mental Health (IECMH) professionals! Your voice is needed to connect and strengthen career pathways in IECMH.

Please sign up for a focus group to inform a statewide report with recommendations for building a sustainable, equitable IECMH workforce infrastructure. Sign up here: https://ow.ly/XuJA50ZFJ39

08/24/2026

Early childhood education professionals shape a child's brain during its most critical years, often for wages that don't cover rent. In this guest post, our summer intern, Lisa Lamb, proposes a framework to fund the people who do this work with the dignity it deserves. Swipe through, then read more: https://earlymilestones.org/funding-our-soul-economy-a-new-framework-for-ece-resilience/

08/13/2026

We are thrilled to welcome Lauren Noser to the Early Milestones Colorado Board of Directors!

Lauren is vice president at GroundFloor Media, where she leads the Advocacy Communications and Issues Management team, serving clients in the nonprofit, government, and health care sectors. Her career spans public affairs, strategic communications, and government advocacy, with more than five years focused specifically on early childhood policy, including early childhood mental health consultation, home visiting programs, and child care licensing.

As a mom to two young boys, Lauren brings both personal and professional commitment to making Colorado a better place for young children and their families.

"Joining the Early Milestones Colorado Board of Directors is both a professional honor and a deeply personal one," Lauren said. "The work they are doing to accelerate innovation and build stronger systems for Colorado's youngest children and their families is truly transformative, and I'm so proud to be part of it. Colorado's kids deserve nothing less!"

We are so glad to have her!

07/01/2026

Child care affects all of us, even if you don't have young children.

That is one of the central messages from a recent episode of KGNU Community Radio Connections, in which Early Milestones Colorado Project Director Emily Landis joined hosts Fiona Foster and Kathy Partridge to discuss the child care crisis in Colorado and how communities across the state are responding.

One number worth sitting with: 1 in 3 Colorado parents with infants has lost a job or an education opportunity because of insufficient child care.

The episode also explores the roles of Family, Friend, and Neighbor providers and Early Milestones' Rural Care Network, which supports rural FFN providers who often do this work without pay or formal support.

Listen to the full interview and share: https://aa.kgnu.net/audioarchives/Connections/2026/Connections_2026-06-26.mp3

06/22/2026

06/22/2026

06/18/2026

Happy FFN Friday! Last week, we celebrated the providers in our Rural Care Network with a day to rest and reflect at the hot springs in Pagosa Springs.

Family, Friend, and Neighbor (FFN) providers care for more than half of Colorado's young children, yet they have long gone without the recognition and resources they need. As child care in Colorado gets harder to find and afford, supporting FFN providers is one of the most direct ways to help families with young children, especially in rural areas.

Thank you to Ervey Y Tiffany Chacon, and Juanita Maestas for partnering with us to make this day possible.

Learn more about the Rural Care Network: earlymilestones.org/project/the-rural-care-network

06/04/2026

We loved being at the Triad Children's Champion Awards this week!

Emily Landes and Sowmya Ramanathan were inspired by being in the room with so many dedicated early care and learning providers who show us every day what responsive, culturally sensitive care looks like.

It was wonderful to celebrate alongside Dr. Lisa Roy and Pat Bolton.

Congratulations to all the nominees and recipients! 🌟