Colorado Shines Quality Improvement Project
What We Do
Download Program Overview (PDF document)
The Colorado Shines Quality Improvement Program provides outreach, conducts readiness assessments, and gives technical assistance to child care providers seeking to improve their Colorado Shines quality of care rating. Colorado Shines includes five levels of quality of care environment: level one providers meet basic licensing requirements and level five have worked through a thorough improvement process.
The process begins with United Way staff contacting child care providers, asking if they would like to increase their quality of care while explaining that higher quality care is better for children and allows the provider to charge higher rates. Providers are then matched with a quality improvement coach; the initial meeting identifies areas for improvement and determines a strategy by which increases in quality can be made. This often includes the purchase of quality improvement items, modification of existing child care space, and professional development offerings. Through Colorado Shines, United Way can fund purchases and renovations. When the provider is ready, an assessor from Colorado Shines visits the center- or home-based child care facility and conducts a rating. The rating is then published through Colorado Shines and is good for three years.
Who We Serve
2020-2021 People Served by Area of Weld County
- Carbon Valley (Berthoud, Dacono, Erie, Firestone, Frederick, Longmont, Mead, Northglenn, Thornton): 0
- County Seat (Evans, Garden City, Greeley): 178
- Outback (Briggsdale, Grover, New Raymer): 0
- Poudre River Corridor (Severance, Windsor): 0
- South County (Brighton, Fort Lupton, Hudson, Keenesburg, Lochbuie): 147
- Thompson River Valley (Johnstown, Milliken): 0
- US-85 Corridor South (Platteville, Gilcrest, LaSalle, Kersey): 0
- US-85 Corridor North (Eaton, Ault, Pierce, Nunn): 0
- Outside Weld County: 0
How We Impact
One family child care professional was able to access funding with our support to begin the remodeling of existing space in a church to open a child care center and expand care. The targeted completion of the project and ability to open is Fall 2021.
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