News
TEACH Impact Story: Gracie
The TEACH scholarship allowed me to take the classes I need to receive my director certification and move up in my role in the classroom! – Gracie, TEACH Scholar
TEACH Impact Story: Tami
Thank you again for giving me the opportunity to further my education. Without this scholarship I probably would not have returned to school and would not be working towards my teacher certification. Thank You! – Tami, TEACH Scholar
TEACH Impact Story: Alejandro
My name is Alejandro. I am currently working as a Paraprofessional at Stedman Elementary School and the TEACH Scholarship has been an incredible support for my career. It has allowed me to be in the ECE undergraduate program at Community College of Aurora, and in …
TEACH Impact Story: Cameron
The TEACH Scholarship allowed me the opportunity to explore my early childhood career path and discover my passion for leadership and advocacy. After earning my Associate degree from Community College of Aurora, I decided to finish up the remaining classes needed for my Director Certificate. …
Higher Ed Perspective on TEACH: Kristin Habicht
Early childhood professionals are vital and invaluable to our state’s economy. We provide the care that other industries depend upon so that their workforce can do their jobs. Research also demonstrates that children have the best outcomes when their teachers have college classes, certificates and …
TEACH Impact Story: Carrie
“I would not have even thought about starting this process without having a TEACH scholarship. I had thought about going back to college and completing ECE classes several years ago when my friend was doing it, but thought it wasn’t really necessary for my current …
TEACH Impact Story: Darian
“I had a great semester and completed my ECE Teaching certification! I am thankful for the opportunity and skills I have acquired to provide great educational and developmental experiences for the children I influence each day.” – Darian F, TEACH Scholar
TEACH Impact Story: Leann
“Applying for the TEACH scholarship is well worth the time and effort. The TEACH staff are very supportive and caring. They are always available to answer questions and will help you succeed. I always wanted to get my Director’s Qualification to better myself professionally, but …
TEACH Impact Story: Brittany
“I am Brittany Anderson and I’m a TEACH scholarship recipient! I am so thankful for this scholarship program because I was able to become Lead Qualified and get my Directors Certificate through Pikes Peak Community College with this scholarship! I would have not been able …
TEACH Impact Story: Denver Public Schools
“Our TEACH Recipient is becoming a stronger Early Childhood Paraprofessional and the TEACH Scholarship is helping her become a well-prepared teacher. This is a great opportunity for her to gain the education necessary to become a fully certified teacher!” – Denver Public Schools, TEACH Sponsor
TEACH Impact Story: Granby Play Days
“Our TEACH Recipient feels more confident in teaching after completing the TEACH Scholarship Program. This is shown in her leadership in the classroom and her ability to guide new teachers in the program.” – Granby Play Days
TEACH Impact Story: Shannan M, Primrose Schools of Lowry and Erie
“Both of our schools have greatly benefited from the TEACH Scholarship. It is a valuable scholarship program that enables early childhood educators to stay in the field while advancing their career. As an employer, it has been beneficial to have the TEACH partnership. It has …
TEACH Impact Story: Andrea
“Thanks for giving me the opportunity to work and also fulfill my necessary coursework at the same time. Everyone at T.E.A.C.H. has been so supportive and my employer and supervisor have been incredible as well. Thank you again for reaching out to the rural areas …
ECCLA Releases Brief Highlighting the Impact of Early Childhood Council Workforce Support Strategies Across Colorado
Wheat Ridge, CO (Oct. 24, 2022) – In recognition of the critical work that Colorado’s Early Childhood Councils do to address the need for a qualified and supported early childhood workforce, the Early Childhood Council Leadership Alliance (ECCLA) has released the Early Childhood Council Impact …
Early Childhood Council Leadership Alliance (ECCLA) Launches the Rural R.U.N. Scholarship Program for Early Childhood Professionals in Rural Communities
Early Childhood Council Leadership Alliance (ECCLA) is excited to announce the launch of the Rural Reskilling, Upskilling, Next-skilling (R.U.N.) Scholarship Program. The Rural R.U.N Scholarship Program provides career counseling and tuition support to current and incoming early childhood professionals in rural communities seeking to reskill, …
ECCLA Releases 2021 Annual Reports
We are excited to share the ECCLA 2021 Annual Report and the T.E.A.C.H. Early Childhood® COLORADO Scholarship Program: 2021 Annual Report! Please join us in celebrating another year of strengthening Colorado’s early childhood system. We invite you to explore the data and testimonials that highlight the impact that ECCLA …
Position Statement on Proposed Recommendations for the Colorado Department of Early Childhood
It is ECCLA’s vision that Colorado has a comprehensive early childhood system that promotes thriving young children, families, and communities and we are excited by the formation of the new Department of Early Childhood. We look forward to working in partnership with our 34-member Early …
ECCLA Funded for Back to Work Program through Colorado Opportunity Scholarship Initiative
ECCLA is a proud recipient of the Colorado Opportunity Scholarship Initiative (COSI), supporting the Back to Work Early Childhood Education Scholarship Program! Our efforts will focus on recruiting displaced workers into the early care and education field in Colorado. Early childhood professionals are the workforce …
ECCLA Has a New Strategic Plan
ECCLA is delighted to share our new strategic plan. Adopted in May 2021, this ambitious plan was developed collaboratively with input from members, partners, and policymakers with the goal to create a plan that pushes our maturing organization into deeper advocacy and systems change. The …
ECCLA Awards $160,000 to Family Child Care Homes in 2020
The Family Child Care Home Facilities Improvement Initiative (FCCHI) administered by the Early Childhood Council Leadership Alliance (ECCLA) offers grants to licensed home-based child care providers in Colorado. This funding opportunity is intended to help family child care homes start-up, expand, or maintain consistent operations, …
ECCLA Embarks on Strategic Planning
The ECCLA Board of Directors and staff have begun a 5-month strategic planning process to update and affirm ECCLA’s mission, vision, and role. The organization’s scope and reach have expanded requiring a deep dive. With key partners, ECCLA will explore the future of the organization. …
“Keep the Lights On” Grant Awards
On behalf of the Early Childhood Council Leadership Alliance, Executives Partnering to Invest in Children, Healthy Child Care Colorado, Mile High United Way, and The Women’s Foundation of Colorado, we are pleased to announce a total of nearly $500,000 was awarded 125 family child care homes …
New Report Highlights History and Impact of Early Childhood Councils
Boots on the Ground: Advancing the Shared Vision for Colorado’s Children is a new report that brings the systems building work of Early Childhood Councils to life. The history, work, and impact of Colorado’s Early Childhood Councils are not well understood by most people and …
ECCLA Endorses Proposition EE
HB20-1427: Cigarette Tobacco And Nicotine Products Tax, passed the Colorado General Assembly as a referred measure to the 2020 November Election Ballot. ECCLA has endorsed the Proposition EE campaign which is a historic opportunity to expand early childhood education in Colorado. Over the first 2 …
Announcing ECCLA’s Interim Director
On behalf of the Early Childhood Council Leadership Alliance (ECCLA) Board of Directors, we are excited to announce Heather Hanna will be stepping in as Interim Director, beginning August 6, 2020, following the resignation of Amy Payton, Executive Director. We are saddened than Amy is …
ECCLA Awards Facilities Improvement Grants to Family Child Care Homes in Colorado
To address the declining number of licensed slots within family child care homes and to improve quality within home-based learning environments, the Buell Foundation granted funds to the Early Childhood Council Leadership Alliance (ECCLA) to provide facility improvement funding to family child care homes. This opportunity is intended to …
Councils Respond to COVID-19 with Supports for Families and Providers
Across Colorado, families and communities have been impacted by the coronavirus pandemic. In particular, family child care arrangements have been disrupted and supplies have been difficult to find on store shelves. In local communities, Colorado’s Early Childhood Councils are playing an important role in supporting …
ECCLA Makes Exciting Changes to Advance our Mission
In 2019, under the prudent direction of our Board of Directors, ECCLA successfully navigated significant programmatic and partnership growth while securing new leadership for the organization. Our mission to improve the quality, capacity, and equity of services and supports for Colorado’s young children and their …
ECCLA’s Response to the COVID-19 Crisis
Supporting Councils and Early Care and Education Providers During the COVID-19 Crisis Hello friends of ECCLA, We are all living through an extremely difficult situation that many of us probably could not have imagined just a month or two ago. Currently, available information indicates that …
Greetings from ECCLA’s New Executive Director
Hello Friends of ECCLA! I am thrilled to be writing you my first newsletter update as Executive Director of the Early Childhood Council Leadership Alliance (ECCLA). I began serving in this role in early January and what a whirlwind the last (almost) two months have …
2018-19 T.E.A.C.H. National Program Report and Colorado Profile
The T.E.A.C.H. Early Childhood® National Center celebrates 30 years of the T.E.A.C.H. Early Childhood® Program. T.E.A.C.H was initially created to address the multiple challenges of a minimally educated workforce, making poverty level wages resulting in very high turnover rates. The 2018-19 T.E.A.C.H. National Program Report …
ECCLA Collaborates on an Early Childhood Census Toolkit
The Early Childhood Council Leadership Alliance (ECCLA) has teamed up with the Colorado Children’s Campaign to collaborate on an early childhood Census toolkit which provides local communities with resources for outreach to families. Every 10 years, the Census aims to count every person living in …
ECCLA and Councils Partner with Get Ahead Colorado
Get Ahead Colorado, an initiative of the Piton Foundation at Gary Community Investments, aims to increase the number of eligible families receiving the Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC), the Child Tax Credit, and other valuable credits that help families get ahead. This year, Get Ahead Colorado …
Meet ECCLA’s New Executive Director
Dear Councils, Funders and Partners, I am excited to introduce Dr. Amy Williamson Payton as the next Executive Director for ECCLA! Dr. Payton comes to us most recently from Oklahoma State University and has worked her way from being a preschool teacher to conducting research …
ECCLA Hosts Annual Leadership Retreat with Councils
ECCLA convened Early Childhood Councils on September 19-20, 2019 for an annual leadership retreat in beautiful Golden, CO. ECCLA’s role is to support Councils as they align resources and services for young children and families in their local communities. We generously received support from The …
Elevate Colorado’s Early Childhood Workforce on Colorado Gives Day!
Colorado’s largest day of giving just around the corner. On this day, thousands of people come together to support Colorado nonprofits. Colorado Gives Day takes place on Tuesday, December 10, 2019 and we invite you to donate to the T.E.A.C.H. Early Childhood® COLORADO Scholarship Program! As …
ECCLA Receives Grant to Help Family Child Care Homes
The Buell Foundation has awarded ECCLA with a $250,000 grant to administer a Family Child Care Home (FCCH) Facility Improvement Initiative. The purpose of the Buell Foundation’s Family Child Care Home Facility Improvement Initiative is to help Colorado families find quality care options for their …
Join the Annual ECHO Summit to Build Outdoor Learning Environments
Together, the Early Childhood Health Outdoors (ECHO) Initiative and ECCLA are building a supportive technical assistance network across Colorado. ECCLA engages our network of 34 Early Childhood Councils to deepen regional expertise around healthy outdoor learning environments and serves as a primary conduit to the …
ECCLA Executive Director Update
Dear ECCLA Members and Stakeholders: On behalf of the Board of Directors of the Early Childhood Council Leadership Alliance (ECCLA), we would like to share that we are continuing to search for a new ECCLA Executive Director and will be reposting the position within the …
ECCLA and Councils Support Early Childhood Legislation
The 2019 Colorado legislative session began in early-January. ECCLA and several Councils have already signed on to support legislative bills aimed at helping young children, families, and communities thrive. Check back throughout the legislative session to learn more about bills supported by ECCLA and Councils. HB …
2Generation Pilots Partner with Local Early Childhood Councils
2Generation Opportunities, or 2GO, is an effort to help communities innovate and create their own ways of engaging in a two-generation approach to service delivery. In November 2018, the 2GO pilot awarded 10 grants of $100,000 each to regional and community collaborators who have proposed innovative ways to …
Opportunities for Child Care Providers to Enhance Outdoor Learning
Outdoor environments encourage play and learning which supports child development. Understanding the importance of outdoor environments, The National Wildlife Federation and North Carolina State University’s Natural Learning Initiative with local funders partnered to bring the Early Childhood Health Outdoors (ECHO) initiative to Colorado. The ECHO …
Register Today for RMECC 2019
Now entering the eighth year, Denver’s Early Childhood Council and the Early Childhood Council Leadership Alliance (ECCLA) have partnered to present RMECC. This year the conference will be hosted March 1-2, 2019 at a new location – the Sheraton Denver Downtown. New this year, we’re …
Early Childhood Advocacy Training Engages Councils
In December 2018, ECCLA partnered with Child Care Works, Raise Colorado, Colorado Children’s Campaign, and Clayton Early Learning to support an advocacy training for child advocates across Colorado. Funding from the Think Babies campaign enable Early Childhood Council leaders to attend from all corners of …
ECCLA Supports Events to Advance Early Childhood Priorities
ECCLA has been busy this Fall participating with and leading events to advance early childhood priorities: Mile High Data Day: ECCLA attended Mile High Data Day on September 20 with a goal to bring information and resources to Early Childhood Councils. The day focused on …
Exciting Changes Strengthen the Early Childhood Council Network
ECCLA celebrates the accomplishments of Early Childhood Councils across Colorado. We are particularly excited about two new changes this Fall that will strengthen the Early Childhood Council Network: Morgan County Welcomes a New Early Childhood Council We are excited to welcome Morgan County Partnership for …
ECCLA Joins Colorado Gives Day
We invite you to support the Early Childhood Council Leadership Alliance (ECCLA) on Colorado Gives Day! Colorado’s largest day of giving, Colorado Gives Day, takes place on Tuesday, December 4, 2018. On this day, thousands of people come together to support Colorado nonprofits. Since its …
ECCLA Convenes Councils for Two-Day Leadership Training
ECCLA convened Early Childhood Councils on September 6-7, 2018 for two days of leadership training at the historic Penrose House in Colorado Springs. ECCLA’s role is to support Councils as they align resources and services for young children and families in their local communities. We …
Learn More About Councils and ECCLA with our New Resources
ECCLA is excited to share new resources to create greater awareness and appreciation for the work of Colorado’s Early Childhood Councils and the role of ECCLA to provide support. Our new fact sheet provides a high-level overview of the role Councils play in their local …
2019 Rocky Mountain Early Childhood Conference Announced
Now entering the eighth year, Denver’s Early Childhood Council and the Early Childhood Council Leadership Alliance (ECCLA) have partnered to present the 2019 Rocky Mountain Early Childhood Conference (RMECC). This year the conference will be hosted March 1-2, 2019 at a new location – the …
Councils Support Families with Child Care Resources
The long days of summer are nearing an end and many young children are starting school or returning to child care for high quality early learning experiences. Finding quality child care and navigating assistance can be challenging for local families. Fortunately, Colorado established the Child …
Report Highlights the Progress of Early Childhood in Colorado
A new report from Early Milestones Colorado, Looking to the Past to Shape Colorado’s Future: 30 Years of Progress for Young Children and Families, takes an expansive and in-depth look at the progress made in Colorado’s early childhood systems – as well as priorities for the …
Weld County Resource Provides Caregiver Support for Child Development
What if parents and caregivers could have a one-stop, online resource that connects to a variety of child development resources? This was the vision of Promises for Children, Weld County’s Early Childhood Council. Earlier this year, partners came together to launch their “RoadMap4Kids,” an interactive …
El Paso County Focuses on Social and Emotional Development
During the earliest years, social and emotional development begins in young children, which is the ability to express and understand emotions, develop social skills, and engage in problem solving strategies to maintain healthy relationships. All young children need caring, responsive, knowledgeable parents and caregivers to …
State Legislators Invest in Local Early Childhood Councils
During the 2018 legislative session, the Early Childhood Council Leadership Alliance (ECCLA) successfully advocated for state general funds to be invested in the statewide network of Early Childhood Councils. The 2018-19 Colorado state budget now includes $1 million for Councils to continue their efforts in …
Councils Lead Early Childhood Workforce Innovation Grants
The Early Childhood Council Leadership Alliance (ECCLA) and Early Childhood Councils are supporting the statewide conversation to develop innovative workforce strategies that enhance recruitment, retention, and compensation. The Early Childhood Workforce 2020 plan provides an ambitious road map to promote a high quality, effective, and …
Custer County Prioritizes Early Childhood and Family Supports
Custer County is a remote community that sits in a beautiful valley between the Sangre de Cristo Mountains and the Wet Mountains with a total population of a little more than 4,000. Local families often have limited access to services with one local health clinic …
Spotlight on the Impact of Childhood Trauma
A recent report on 60 minutes discussed the impact of childhood trauma and ways in which communities are working to combat toxic stress. The research shows that early interactions and positive experiences with caregivers help to shape a young child’s brain, which provides a strong …
Councils Celebrate Young Children and Their Families
In April early childhood organizations, professionals, and advocates celebrate young children and their families by recognizing the importance of positive early childhood experiences, promoting early learning and healthy development of young children, and highlighting the role everyone plays in preventing child abuse and neglect. This …
Councils and ECCLA “Speak up for Kids” at the State Capitol
Councils and ECCLA joined state partners at the annual “Speak up for Kids” event on March 14, 2018. This dynamic event brought together advocates to serve as a voice for children statewide. Advocates met with state legislators to share information about current legislation affecting children. …
2018 Rocky Mountain Early Childhood Conference a Success
ECCLA and Denver’s Early Childhood Council presented the 2018 Rocky Mountain Early Childhood Conference on March 16-17 at the Colorado Convention Center. This year’s conference featured keynote speakers, Dr. Becky Bailey founder of Loving Guidance, Inc. and the Conscious Discipline program and Enrique “Hank” C. …
ECCLA is Featured on The Preschool Podcast
The Preschool Podcast provides inspiration and knowledge to current and future early childhood professionals by speaking with experienced and insightful leaders. The weekly program features voices and perspectives from educators, leaders, and organizations in early childhood. ECCLA is excited to be featured on The Preschool …
ECCLA and Councils Support Early Childhood Workforce Goals
In collaboration with Early Milestones Colorado, Early Childhood Councils and ECCLA supported eight community meetings across the state to discuss the early childhood workforce in Colorado. Councils worked with their local early childhood partners to ensure multiple perspectives and voices were represented, secured local facilities …
Family Child Care Home Improvement Grants
In May 2021, ECCLA awarded $119,590 to 31 family child care homes across 11 counties in Colorado. Click on the link below for a list of recipients.
In 2020, ECCLA awarded $160,000 in grants to 45 family child care homes across Colorado for facilities improvements focused on expanding licensed capacity, health, safety, and quality improvement.
