ECPAC works to identify and reduce barriers to accessing services and fill identified gaps towards availability of services through strong partnerships with community service organizations, families, and other key stakeholders. ECPAC brings partners together to identify the “social problem” to be address or improved towards a more efficient and effective early childhood and family system by:
Action Teams & Collaboratives
- Reviewing data (local, state, and community expertise)
- Identifying community strengths, needs, and barriers
- Developing strategies to address the needs and barriers
- Create and monitor indicators of success
- Promote shared accountability amongst partners towards positive outcomes
- Engage in continuous quality improvement to make course corrections as needed towards desired outcomes
Creating Supportive Communities with Families
(previously: Child Maltreatment Prevention)
Objectives include:
- Provide training and technical assistance to service providers and families to adequately strengthen families.
- Support the community in using non-stigmatizing, culturally responsive, and welcoming messages that normalize accessing services or receiving help.
Social Norming Messages Toolkit
- Ensure supportive policies exist.
- Work with community partners to offer parenting/family supports and services through a family resource hub model.
- 2022-2023 Community Based Child Abuse Prevention (CBCAP) Plan
- Develop strategies to better support caregivers struggling with substance use or in recovery and to prevent child abuse and neglect due to caregiver substance use
- Contact: Stephanie Henderson – stephanie@ecpac.org / 720-520-5844
Early Care and Education Workforce
Objectives include:
- Strengthen the early care and education (ECE) workforce and pipeline to increase the number of qualified Early Childhood Teachers available.
- Advocate for adequate compensation for ECE workforce.
- Support local implementation of Colorado’s Preschool Development Grant.
Contact: Alisha Mullins – Alisha@ecpac.org / 303-428-3012
Infant Toddler Taskforce
Goal: Families have access to affordable infant and toddler slots when they need them and providers are able to offer infant and toddler care in a more sustainable manner. Plan
- Increase the number of available and affordable infant and toddler slots by 5% by December 2025
Strategies:
- Gather data to inform plan
- Reduce barriers to offering infant and toddler care in Family Childcare Home programs.
- Reduce barriers to offering infant and toddler care in Center-based programs.
- Advocate for systemic changes including licensing/health regulations, funding, policy and CCCAP implementation.
- Inform families about affordable, quality, and available childcare options.
- Increase efforts focused on Family, Friend and Neighbor Caregivers.
Contact: Lisa Jansen Thompson – lisa@ecpac.org / 303-428-2029
Commerce City Services Alignment (C4 – Family Resource Center Hub)
Objective: to align/integrate efforts of plans towards greater impact and sharing of resources to better serve families in Commerce City:
- Increase awareness of services and supports at C4 – increased referrals in
- Increase partnerships with other community organizations for comprehensive continuum of care – increased referral out
- Strengthened partnerships of C4 service organizations
- Increase participation from community members in the implementation and evaluation of efforts
- Improved community experience while working with organizations at C4
Contact: Lisa Jansen Thompson – lisa@ecpac.org / 303-428-2029
Current Collaboratives/Initiatives Include
The ECPAC Advisory Council
All partners and other stakeholders are invited to attend the quarterly Advisory Council.
Objectives include:
- Community is aware of progress and provides direction on identified challenges of ECPAC’s work through Action Teams and Initiatives. Two meetings per year – ECPAC presents data to represent progress and challenges.
- Community is provided opportunities to have shared understanding of early childhood and family best practices and have time for discussion of shared, cross-county, approach to implementation. Two meetings per year – ECPAC presents guiding frameworks/models, best practices, key issues facing children and families, and facilitates discussion.
Contact: Lisa Jansen Thompson – lisa@ecpac.org / 303-428-2029