8/21/25 ECEA Member ONLY Update
New System Updates
First, we are working in a new system and I made a mistake in my learning curve. That means the last TWO updates that have been written can only be found on the new members only website at: https://eceaco.mykajabi.com/blog?preview_theme_id=2161551402
You did not get the newsletter emailed to you but will now and going forward. You will always be able to circle back on the website and see previous Updates there if you can't find them in your email. OUR UPDATES ARE NOW ONLY FOR MEMBERS!! PLEASE DO NOT FORWARD THOSE TO ANYONE. It's a PAID benefit. We also have told the state that we are communicating with you directly now. They want to know what we have to say. Heard the term, "Noneya?" State: it's noneya business! We will tell them directly anything we need them to know! Once a month or so we will send out an email to our entire email list when it benefits us politically to do so.
- If you need anyone else added to our platform (like your Director, regional director, etc or if we missed an owner, just email [email protected] and let me know). If you have a Director leave and they have an account with us, let us know your new directors info and we will change the account!
- We added an FAQ page to our new website. Check it out! If you send us a question we will continue to build out this page with our responses so everyone will know!
- We added a new free resource to the Store from CED on the Early Care and Education as an Economic Engine
- We added a new free resource to the Store from the Center for the Study of Child Care Employment on the Early Childhood Workforce Index 2024
- We added a new free resource to the Store from the OSPB - CO Tax Policy Impacts from the OBBB
- We are attempting to start a conversation in our community page with members about tax initiatives to support the industry. We want to hear from you! Remember....what's said there stays there!
We've heard a RESOUNDING theme from many of our members recently. "I have to save every penny." "We are operating from a deficit and can't afford to be a member right now." We hear this repeatedly from people who have NEVER REACHED OUT FOR HELP!! We are trying to figure out how to get our members to understand that being a member is not a badge of honor or just to get points towards your quality rating. We are in business to make a difference for your business! We do this in multiple ways:
1) We establish quality partnerships that will save you money.
2) We help you think through business pivots that will save you money.
3) We work to save you time because time is money.
4) We work to help you increase your enrollments which makes you money.
5) We do advocacy work to stop the state and legislature from increasing your costs to save you money.
Are you sensing a theme here?? Without MONEY you cannot provide a service to your community. Forget surviving...ECEA wants you to THRIVE!! If you don't engage with us, we can't help. Our meetings are 100% confidential. Schedule with Dawn.
Also, members....if you have found another way to save money that can benefit other members...we NEED to hear about it! When we say "Together we are STRONGER" it's in large part because we work together to make a difference for families and therefore our programs. Stand up and support others! We have GREAT pivots but we need your pivots too!
Check out this 1 minute video: https://youtu.be/cRoF3eAGIpk
Inspired? Watch this video with our board member discussing how your business can pivot for profit:
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Special session started TODAY - $783 Million at Stake
*Note: This is NOT about political party. This is about political policies.
We will be listening and will post in the community pages any pertinent information on the session! Note as of this morning there wer 21 House bills and 9 Senate bills pre-released. Topics are listed in the community pages.
State legislators are working to undermine federal tax cuts that benefit you.
- No tax on tips? Not true in Colorado...
- No tax on Social Security? Except if you live in Colorado...
The Colorado budget was balanced until the federal government created tax cuts which drove down the revenue for Colorado (federal funding is 40%+ of our state budget). Their solution? Shift the payment of those taxes to the state.
In 1992, 70% of citizens have said, we want to control the growth of government and the taxes we have to pay. That was through the tax payor bill of rights (TABOR). The Colorado legislature has proactively worked to circumvent that mandate by increasing FEES.
This increase in fees has resulted in a total of $88.3 million in FY23. Here is a visual that shows the growth.
Some state legislators claim that if TABOR went away they wouldn't need to increase taxes. WRONG. The history of fees shows that the Colorado Government grows exponentially at every opportunity. If they can get your money and keep your money they will. The current near $1 BILLION deficit can be solved: By DECREASING government! Scale things back to reasonable. Decide what critical government services are and fund those!
It's a struggle to keep up as a state? That's hard to understand when their overall budget has increased by TEN BILLION SINCE 2019. Perhaps they are building too many field of dreams services in our state? Health care is twice as expensive as the K12 system. It i
What do our members think about reverting UPK back to 10 hours?
I'm not sending out an update until next week so I thought I would share this here:
75 programs responded to our recent quick survey. (THANK YOU!)
Do you think decreasing to 10 hours would increase/decrease school district engagement?
43 say decrease (57%)
4 say increase (5%)
28 say no change (37%)
Would a decrease to 10 hours pull families back into or keep them in community based care?
54 say yes (72%)
10 say no (13%)
11 say no change (15%)
Would you like to see some UPK funding shifted to CCCAP to help get counties off of CCCAP freezes?-----45 say yes (60%)
30 say no (40%)
School Districts that are expanding 3 year old care include by their report:
St. Vrain Valley, Englewood, Weld County (D6), Douglas, Durango 9R, Adams, Jeffco, Denver, Mapleton, Thompson & Poudre.
CCCAP Update
We are hearing from the state that their waiver request could have a response in the next week or so. AS SOON AS THEY GET THAT WE WILL SEND OUT AN UPDATE to outline the advocacy support you can provide in your county to encourage them to move off of freezes. We will provide data support but will need you to do some work on this on the local level.
The feds are taking their time with rescinding the 2024 CCDF rule set (they HEARD you!) They are not only rolling back that rule set but additional rules that have nothing to do with safety of children. Once those rules are scaled back we will be able to advocate for de-regulation on the state level. We are already working to determine what the low hanging fruit on this is. MORE TO COME....
Crushed by child care costs? Trump tax law offers parents some relief
Teachers Union Lawsuits in 5 States Challenge Private School Vouchers
Imagination Library of Colorado: Effects on Kindergarten Readiness and Skills
March 2025 Forecast Five: "No (big TABOR refund) for you!" | Colorado Fiscal Institute
States Create Trust Funds to Bolster Child Care and Early Childhood Education
Relationship-Based Professional Development Cohort for Directors
Calling all early childhood program directors, administrators, and third-level supervisors. Please join our Director’s Relationship-Based Professional Development (RBPD) Pilot Cohort for a high-impact, live virtual experience!
Get targeted one-on-one leadership coaching, collaborate in a directors-only learning community, and tackle real-world priorities—staffing, compliance, budgeting, family engagement, and instructional quality—while strengthening strategic decision-making, team development, inclusive leadership, and continuous quality improvement (CQI). Help shape a scalable statewide support model and reduce professional isolation through meaningful peer connection.
Logistics
- Tuesdays, Jan 13–Mar 17, 6–8 pm, plus an orientation
- Commitment: 45.5 hours (attendance at all nine sessions, at least eight reflective supervision/consultations, and at least seven of eleven director community of practice (CoP) sessions Mar–Dec).
- Questions: [email protected]
Apply for the Director RBPD Cohort Today!
If you can’t meet the full expectations, please watch for future opportunities.
** This can get your Assistant Director set for a Coaching credential which can support your quality rating work.
New CO Cradle to Career Dashboard
That says 57.93% of children statewide are ready for Kindergarten. The screenshot is hard to read. Here's the link so you can check it out:
https://experience.arcgis.com/experience/902a54d5073044738958413fe779a50f
Calling all Early Childhood Professionals of children 2-8 years old...Sesame Street needs your help!
Do you work directly with young children ages 2-8 years old and/or their
families (for example, a child care provider, librarian, home visitor, community
health worker, classroom teacher, or pediatrician)?
• Are you interested in learning about how to help the children and families you
work with build healthy habits, including technology habits and a balanced
digital life?
• Are you comfortable using a computer and have high speed internet access?
If so, we invite you to participate in a research study testing out NEW resources
from Sesame Street! Sesame Street is conducting this study with our partners at
Child Trends.
Participants will:
Participate in an online self-paced course and if eligible, receive additional resources
developed by Sesame Street
Complete two short surveys about your perspective on healthy habits, including
digital access and technology use among young children and parents/caregivers
If eligible, attend an optional focus group to give us feedback about the materials
and resources we send you
Depending on eligibility, receive up to $70 for participating
visit
https://tinyurl.com/4f5tua8xby September 5th to see if you are eligible.
Colorado SecureSavings Comliance Alert
Businesses in Colorado with 5+ FTEs that have been operational for 2+ years must certify their exemption or register for Colorado SecureSavings.
They are assessing fines for businesses not in compliance at the end of the year. Email [email protected] if you need their digital toolkit and we will forward it to you!
Reminder of Car Seat Laws
Effective Jan. 1, 2025
- Rear-Facing Car Seat required if child is under 2 years old and under 40 lbs
- Must go in the back seat if available
- Can stay rear-facing longer if the car seat allows
- Forward Facing Car Seat required if child is:
- Under 2 years old but over 40 lbs, OR
- 2–4 years old and over 20 lbs
- Must go in the back seat if available
- Can continue past age 4 if the car seat allows
- Booster Seat required for kids 4–9 years old and at least 40 lbs
- Must go in the back seat if available
- Can continue past age 9 if needed
- For kids 9–18 years old
- Must fit properly in the seat belt
FCCH Facilities Improvement Grant Application Opens September 1 with Important Changes to Application Process
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All applicants are required to attend a Mandatory Informational Webinar before they can apply. See below for dates. Interpretation will be available upon request.
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The grant window now closes at 5:00 PM on the due date.
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Technical support for the grant will end at 4:00 PM on October 9th (one day before the application closes). ECCLA staff will be unable to answer emails or phone calls after that time. Please start your application early so that you can ask questions and get support if needed.
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This grant will continue to accept applications only from programs that have never received the FCCH Facilities Improvement Grant from ECCLA. Providers who have applied for the grant but not received funding are welcome to apply, but we encourage you to contact Shannon Hall for feedback on your previous application before applying again.
- This is the last opportunity to apply in 2025. Review full guidelines and start preparing your documentation now. If you are unsure if your specific project is a good fit for this grant, you can email Shannon Hall to discuss your specific situation.
In case no one has told you lately, you are amazing, strong, brave, wonderful, kind, loved, worthy, and there is no one like you. The world needs you.
--Unknown
