Reading Great by 8
Comprised of 35+ organizations, the Reading Great by 8 Collective Impact effort is aiming to make Weld County a place where children are entering kindergarten ready and reading at grade level by the start of 4th grade.
Why Is This Important?
What We Do
Download Program Overview (PDF document)
The Weld County Early Childhood Council (WCECC) works to ensure that all children are valued, healthy and thriving by focusing on the whole child. The WCECC does this by utilizing the Early Childhood Colorado Framework (see ECC Framework below) to:
• Educate Weld County’s citizens on the importance of prenatal health care, early childhood development and support for young children through marketing and outreach efforts.
• Strengthen the existing network of programs serving children prenatal to age 8, in an effort to better coordinate the delivery of services. Where appropriate, new programs are created and/or improvements are made to prevent service gaps or duplication within the system.
• Support licensed and exempt child care providers to create high quality care environments.
• Participate in a state-wide network of councils and a place for collaboration on county-wide early childhood development efforts.
Who We Serve
2020-2021 People Served by Area of Weld County
- Carbon Valley (Berthoud, Dacono, Erie, Firestone, Frederick, Longmont, Mead, Northglenn, Thornton): 3
- County Seat (Evans, Garden City, Greeley): 33
- Outback (Briggsdale, Grover, New Raymer): 1
- Poudre River Corridor (Severance, Windsor): 4
- South County (Brighton, Fort Lupton, Hudson, Keenesburg, Lochbuie): 4
- Thompson River Valley (Johnstown, Milliken): 2
- US-85 Corridor South (Platteville, Gilcrest, LaSalle, Kersey): 1
- US-85 Corridor North (Eaton, Ault, Pierce, Nunn): 1
- Outside Weld County: 2
How We Impact
“It was through our involvement with Weld County's Early Childhood Council that we connected with NRBH’s HIPPY program, which led to put forward a grant proposal to support a collaborative effort. It has now been three years since that grant ended and our partnership is supporting parents and their children continues to be a strong success.”
– a council member
“I feel my affiliation has given me a great awareness on ECC issues that affect overall success in thriving in school, health etc…It has been instrumental in helping me heal my own childhood issues in the past.”
– a council member
What We Do
Envision is requesting funding for a full-time (1 FTE) Children’s Case Manager to increase the case management capacity of its Early Intervention (EI) program and Family Support Services Program (FSSP) for Weld County children with developmental delays or disabilities. These programs are growing at a rapid rate, and we anticipate that upcoming changes to the structure of other services, such as the Children’s Habilitation Residential Program (or CHRP) waiver, will also increase demand for support.
Families receiving case management services are assigned a case manager within three (3) days of referral for services. The case manager will typically accompany the family to a multidisciplinary evaluation to work with the family and evaluation team to develop an Individual Family Service Plan (IFSP) within 45 days of referral. An EI case manager facilitates family identification of their needs and priorities for their child and family, and assists with locating therapists to work with the family to enhance their child’s development. An FSSP Case Manager assists families in accessing funding from the State of Colorado that can help pay for things like caregiver respite, home modifications, parent training, and costs associated with medical care not covered by private insurance/Medicaid. Case managers also assist families in connecting with other available supports in the community, including preschool programs if eligible, throughout the time the child is eligible for services.
These case management services are vital in providing the family with a single point of contact for eligibility determination, service coordination, and State/Medicaid reporting, among other things. They also facilitate a more “fluid” continuum of care through partner organizations and quicker access to supports in the community
Who We Serve
2020-2021 People Served by Area of Weld County
- Carbon Valley (Berthoud, Dacono, Erie, Firestone, Frederick, Longmont, Mead, Northglenn, Thornton): 151
- County Seat (Evans, Garden City, Greeley): 168
- Outback (Briggsdale, Grover, New Raymer): 2
- Poudre River Corridor (Severance, Windsor): 79
- South County (Brighton, Fort Lupton, Hudson, Keenesburg, Lochbuie): 42
- Thompson River Valley (Johnstown, Milliken): 30
- US-85 Corridor South (Platteville, Gilcrest, LaSalle, Kersey): 19
- US-85 Corridor North (Eaton, Ault, Pierce, Nunn): 16
- Outside Weld County: 0
How We Impact
R. recently turned three and is a graduate of Envision's Early Intervention Program. Her mom will tell you that before Early Intervention, R. was only able to communicate with one-word answers and struggled to develop her speech. With the help of an Envision Early Intervention Resource Coordinator, she was connected with a speech therapist and now uses full sentences and chats up a storm! Her mom would "definitely recommend Envision to other families" and is grateful for the ability to better communicate with her daughter.
What We Do
The Child Advocacy Center (CAC) with locations in Greeley and Fort Lupton serve children who have been sexually abused, severely physically abused or traumatized by witnessing homicide or extreme acts of violence. Child victims and their non- offending family members are provided a comfortable, child focused and supportive setting that decreases trauma and allows the victims to begin the healing process. The CAC provides comprehensive services through a multi- disciplinary team (MDT) approach with members from law enforcement, child protection, medical, mental health, victim support and prosecution. This includes scheduling of forensic interviews, pre and post interview consultation, education about the victim services system, scheduling of medical exams, victim advocacy and support and access to counseling services. Services are also provided to non-offending family members who accompany the child to the interview and are a part of the aftercare process.
CAC’s provide a coordinated, evidence- based response to children who have been abused in all 50 states. Life Stories CAC is an accredited member of the National Children’s Alliance, the association and governing body for CAC’s. They provide support, technical assistance and quality assurance for all accredited centers.
Who We Serve
2020-2021 People Served by Area of Weld County
- Carbon Valley (Berthoud, Dacono, Erie, Firestone, Frederick, Longmont, Mead, Northglenn, Thornton): 179
- County Seat (Evans, Garden City, Greeley): 526
- Outback (Briggsdale, Grover, New Raymer): 27
- Poudre River Corridor (Severance, Windsor): 47
- South County (Brighton, Fort Lupton, Hudson, Keenesburg, Lochbuie): 84
- Thompson River Valley (Johnstown, Milliken): 65
- US-85 Corridor South (Platteville, Gilcrest, LaSalle, Kersey): 22
- US-85 Corridor North (Eaton, Ault, Pierce, Nunn): 64
- Outside Weld County: 86
How We Impact
A young female was interviewed regarding sex assault by her stepfather. During her interview, she disclosed that her sister may have witnessed some of the assaults. Her sister was brought in to be interviewed as a witness but during her forensic interview she disclosed that she was a victim of very serious sex assault over several years. If she had not been brought in to be interviewed as a witness, she may never have told anyone she was also a victim herself. The case went to trial after several delays due to the pandemic and the suspect was found guilty for sex assault on both sisters.
What We Do
To help prevent child abuse and neglect, LFS offers the Parent Education and Support Program (PES). The program teaches parents safe and effective discipline methods, appropriate developmental expectations, and healthy communication practices. These classes preserve and strengthen families, with a focus on building coping techniques and resiliency so parents can safely parent instead of resorting to violence out of frustration or learned negative behaviors. The following classes are provided:
- RETHINK: Anger Management for Parents: LFS offers this class 4 times per year, and the class meets for 4, two hour sessions. Participants receive 8 hours of instruction.
- Nurturing Parenting Program (NP) : LFS offers 8 to 10 14-week classes for parents of children aged birth to 12 years of age. NP participants receive 20 to 28 hours of instruction.
- Nurturing Skills for Teen Parents: LFS offers 1, 5-session class per year through the teen parenting program at Jefferson High School in Greeley at 2 hours per session. 10 hours of instruction is provided.
- Parenting Your Teenager: LFS offers this class 4 times per year, and class meets 2 hours per week for 4 weeks or 8 hours of instruction per participant.
- LFS also offers a variety of NP topic-specific presentations to parents at community centers in Northern Colorado 4 times per year for 2 hours of instruction each time.
- LFS approaches the prevention of child abuse and neglect using parent education classes because past research has demonstrated the effectiveness of parent education classes to promote family wellbeing. The NP curricula used by LFS is evidence-based and all other curricula incorporates factors that are strong predictors of program effectiveness.
Who We Serve
2020-2021 People Served by Area of Weld County
- Carbon Valley (Berthoud, Dacono, Erie, Firestone, Frederick, Longmont, Mead, Northglenn, Thornton): 9
- County Seat (Evans, Garden City, Greeley): 48
- Outback (Briggsdale, Grover, New Raymer): 2
- Poudre River Corridor (Severance, Windsor): 7
- South County (Brighton, Fort Lupton, Hudson, Keenesburg, Lochbuie): 6
- Thompson River Valley (Johnstown, Milliken): 5
- US-85 Corridor South (Platteville, Gilcrest, LaSalle, Kersey): 13
- US-85 Corridor North (Eaton, Ault, Pierce, Nunn): 1
- Outside Weld County: 22
How We Impact
A mother had a young child in the care of child protection services for almost a full year due to a substance abuse issues and being involved in an unhealthy relationship that led to ongoing domestic violence incidents. She took LFSRM’s Nurturing Parenting course in conjunction with working with one of LFSRM’s visitation supervisors during her court ordered supervised visitations and excelled throughout the program. This mother successfully completed both programs and now has her child back in her care.
What We Do
The SafeTouch: Body Safety Program is a curriculum that teaches children personal and body safety awareness using an engaging, child friendly curriculum which includes group activities, age/developmentally appropriate discussions, role-play, puppets, and videos. The activities help children learn to say “no” and get away and tell a trusted adult if confronted with unsafe situations. The program also teaches students how to recognize inappropriate and abusive situations. Goals of the curriculum are to reduce children’s vulnerability and to help them identify trusted adults they can talk to if confronted with unsafe situations. The LFS Prevention Program annually presents SafeTouch to more than 9,000 students ages 5 to 12 in 20-25 elementary schools in Weld County. SafeTouch is presented to each classroom as a single session. This allows the presentations to occur within a comfortable environment in which the children feel at ease asking questions or sharing information. Should the children report any type of potential abuse, the teachers, counselors or presenters, as mandatory reporters, make referrals to law enforcement or social services as required by the Colorado Revised Statutes. The SafeTouch program is provided throughout the entire school year. Each participating school receives presentations once a year. On average, the program remains at a school for 3 days in order to complete the program in each individual classroom within the school. LFS defines success of the SafeTouch program as having participating kindergarten through fifth graders demonstrating that they can:
- Recognize and react to unsafe touches by saying “No” and getting help.
- Name a safe adult that they can tell if they experience abuse.
Who We Serve
2020-2021 People Served by Area of Weld County
- Carbon Valley (Berthoud, Dacono, Erie, Firestone, Frederick, Longmont, Mead, Northglenn, Thornton): 1090
- County Seat (Evans, Garden City, Greeley): 350
- Outback (Briggsdale, Grover, New Raymer): 0
- Poudre River Corridor (Severance, Windsor): 1418
- South County (Brighton, Fort Lupton, Hudson, Keenesburg, Lochbuie): 1015
- Thompson River Valley (Johnstown, Milliken): 1297
- US-85 Corridor South (Platteville, Gilcrest, LaSalle, Kersey): 451
- US-85 Corridor North (Eaton, Ault, Pierce, Nunn): 0
- Outside Weld County: 0
How We Impact
Feedback from school partners continues to be a critical way to evaluate the program. This year, a 5th grade student sent educator Pettijohn a note saying “thank you for teaching us about how to keep ourselves safe. I learned a lot of important stuff.” The principal at the same school shared that it was a great program and that she was appreciative it was offered this year.” Additionally, the school counselor from Milliken Elementary School shared with educator Pettijohn, “THANK YOU! You did such an amazing job presenting to our school and the kids loved it! I even had a kid reference a "safe" touch today when I was doing a lesson and my heart fluttered a bit. I had to report a couple cases that came about unfortunately, but I feel that this presentation gives them that "green light" which is awesome.”
What We Do
The evidence-based programs (EBP) that are offered through the FC include: Parents as Teachers (PAT),
Home Instruction for Parents of Preschool Youngsters (HIPPY), SafeCare®, Incredible Years, Early Childhood
Mental Health Consultation (ECMH), Positive Solutions Groups, WINGS -Integrated Residential Substance Disorder Treatment, and therapeutic family and child services. These EBP services have strong research that indicates; 1) children reach their developmental potential and arrive at school ready for success; 2) children experience environments that are safe, stable and supportive; and 3) adults are knowledgeable, responsive and interact in a way that promotes strong relationships with their infants, toddlers and young children.
HIPPY utilizes 12 AmeriCorps members to provide 30 weeks of home education visits using the research informed curriculum to teach parents of children, ages 2, 3, 4 and 5 years, how to facilitate early learning and literacy. In between home education visits parents engage their child 15 minutes a day, 5 days a week to complete learning activities. Parents are encouraged to praise and give specific reinforcements that promote their child’s cooperation and strengthen the relationship. Family Connects HIPPY team is the only one in the state that supports families in multiple languages with culturally responsive members (6-8 different languages).
In addition to supporting families; FC HIPPY is one of two programs that was selected to pilot a mixed age HIPPY curriculum to home childcare providers (licensed and FFN-Friend, Family, Neighbor). HIPPY USA and Colorado HIPPY partnered with Colorado Department of Human Services to look at training that would address workforce development in childcare and HIPPY was one of the choices.
Who We Serve
2020-2021 People Served by Area of Weld County
- Carbon Valley (Berthoud, Dacono, Erie, Firestone, Frederick, Longmont, Mead, Northglenn, Thornton): 24
- County Seat (Evans, Garden City, Greeley): 240
- Outback (Briggsdale, Grover, New Raymer): 0
- Poudre River Corridor (Severance, Windsor): 10
- South County (Brighton, Fort Lupton, Hudson, Keenesburg, Lochbuie): 8
- Thompson River Valley (Johnstown, Milliken): 8
- US-85 Corridor South (Platteville, Gilcrest, LaSalle, Kersey): 8
- US-85 Corridor North (Eaton, Ault, Pierce, Nunn): 10
- Outside Weld County: 2
How We Impact
We have so many success stories to tell, however one in particular stands out. The "Perez" family moved to Greeley in January of 2020 and when they enrolled their three-year-old daughter in the HIPPY program. Their home visitor had only met with the mother a few times in person before the pandemic struck. At that point everything changed, and the visits switched to virtual. The HIPPY program serves families primarily during the school year so this family only had twelve visits (normally it would be 32) before stopping the end of May. During the summer break, Brenda, the home visitor received a call from the Perez family's father. He explained that he did not know who else to call but was in need of some help. His wife had contracted COVID and was in the hospital. He was not working either due to a shut-down at his employment. He had his two children (3 years and 6 months old) and did not have any means to get food or supplies. Brenda immediately stepped up and began making calls to our community partners. In a matter of a day, she supported the father in obtaining diapers, formula, and food. She also connected the parent to local agencies like United Way to help with rent assistance and other ongoing needs. Mr. Perez was grateful for the support and the family continues to be involved with the HIPPY program.
What We Do
Download Program Overview (PDF document)
Child Care Provider Professional Development trainings offer over 15 hours of continuing education to Weld County child care providers each year. The trainings host speakers from the Colorado higher education system, ensuring the presentations are of high quality and encouraging providers to enroll in classes taught by an experienced teacher. The relationship built with the speakers during the trainings also helps to reduce the fear that is often a barrier to enrolling in college classes.
Sample class titles include “Every Child Ready to Read,” “Cavity Free Kids” and “Emergency Preparedness.”
United Way of Weld County also hosts an annual Love to Learn training series. This is a collection of Saturday classes regarding children’s health and education at which a provider can earn up to 12 hours of professional development.
Who We Serve
2020-2021 People Served by Area of Weld County
- Carbon Valley (Berthoud, Dacono, Erie, Firestone, Frederick, Longmont, Mead, Northglenn, Thornton): 1
- County Seat (Evans, Garden City, Greeley): 35
- Outback (Briggsdale, Grover, New Raymer): 0
- Poudre River Corridor (Severance, Windsor): 2
- South County (Brighton, Fort Lupton, Hudson, Keenesburg, Lochbuie): 5
- Thompson River Valley (Johnstown, Milliken): 2
- US-85 Corridor South (Platteville, Gilcrest, LaSalle, Kersey): 1
- US-85 Corridor North (Eaton, Ault, Pierce, Nunn): 6
- Outside Weld County: 46
How We Impact
Christy A.: "I love learning more about resiliency. I would love another training on this topic. I have an adopted daughter that thankfully is resilient but childhood trauma has absolutely impacted her life. The stress of COVID has caused trauma in many children on top of other issues they may have in their families or child care. Stress, how it impacts children, and how we can help them survive and thrive would be an amazing training that Jamie would probably conduct beautifully! When she said that time is not a renewable resource but energy is, it resonated with me. I need to renew my energy so that my children are getting the best of my energy and not what is leftover. "The biggest obstacles in our lives are the barriers our mind creates." This quote is inspiration to turn challenges into growing opportunities so we can fly like the butterflies! This training gave practical application and inspiration!"
What We Do
Download Program Overview (PDF document)
Child Care Provider Recruitment at United Way of Weld County works in partnership with Weld County Department of Human Services to increase the number of child care providers—both licensed and unlicensed. This is done through social and print media campaigns that educate people about the need for more child care slots and the benefits of being a child care provider.
Additionally, this initiative increases the number of providers who accept CCCAP (Colorado Child Care Assistance Program—a subsidy that allows lower income families to be able to afford child care). For family, friend, and neighbor (FFN) providers, an incentivized program with five tiers walks providers through the steps necessary to begin accepting CCCAP. For example, one tier requires the provider to complete a CPR/First Aid course; once she completes the requirement, she’s provided with a first aid kit and fire extinguisher, and she’s one step closer to being able to accept CCCAP.
The Weld Plus process encourages professional development for school-age child care center staff and CCCAP participation. As staff complete trainings and ratings, the center climbs through the Weld Plus model; the higher the level a center attains, the higher the CCCAP reimbursement rate they receive.
Who We Serve
2020-2021 People Served by Area of Weld County
- Carbon Valley (Berthoud, Dacono, Erie, Firestone, Frederick, Longmont, Mead, Northglenn, Thornton): 11
- County Seat (Evans, Garden City, Greeley): 0
- Outback (Briggsdale, Grover, New Raymer): 0
- Poudre River Corridor (Severance, Windsor): 23
- South County (Brighton, Fort Lupton, Hudson, Keenesburg, Lochbuie): 4
- Thompson River Valley (Johnstown, Milliken): 8
- US-85 Corridor South (Platteville, Gilcrest, LaSalle, Kersey): 7
- US-85 Corridor North (Eaton, Ault, Pierce, Nunn): 7
- Outside Weld County: 41
How We Impact
A letter from a client:
Dear United Way of Weld County,
I have recently received some enormous support from Liberty Martinez with my journey of getting my in-home daycare license. I am so grateful for all the resources and help that she and United Way of Weld County has given me. My dream of doing in home childcare has been in the back of my mind for many years now as I waited for the right time for me and my family to make that change.
Though as I started the process, I felt over-whelmed with all the rules and regulation, the paperwork, classes and getting my home ready to care for children. At one point I called Liberty to run my "to-do list before my inspection" across her and thank goodness for her because I was over-complicating many tasks and only making it harder on myself. To help ease my mind even more she offered to come to my home and do a 'mock' inspection, helping point out safety concerns that I may have overlooked, this was huge and gave me such a sense of relief and an honest list of "need-to-dos prior to my inspection."
Beyond all that hands on help, I also received financial help with applying of my license, completing classes, getting fingerprinting done and not to mention getting safety items needed to pass my inspection like first aid kits and fire extinguishers. I was also provided numerous educational resources such as the Colorado Early Learning and Development Guidelines book, which has rounded out my curriculum and ensuring kiddos in my care are receiving all the developmental support to reach their full potential.
United Way of Weld County and their staff has honestly made my huge career change seamless and productive on me and my family. I would recommend all caregivers to reach out to United Way whether they have done childcare for years or are just starting out. The contacts and outlets have been remarkable, there is much more to this career then I originally even thought and there is so many there to help you along the way. Witnessing and supporting these children grow and learn is the best gift, thank you to United Way for being advocates for children all over.
Sincerely,
Katie M.
What We Do
Download Program Overview (PDF document)
Child Care Resource and Referral, in partnership with the Colorado Office of Early Childhood, maintains a database of all licensed home and center providers in Colorado.
A trained referral specialist is available to help parents find local child care services that meet their child’s needs. For each family, the specialist provides at least four matching child care providers.
United Way of Weld County connects with every Weld County child care provider annually to update contact information, number of child care openings available and other items. These updates are included in the Child Care Resource and Referral database.
Additionally, the database is available for use as a statistical analysis tool as it includes information about program type, capacity, services, wages and benefits.
Who We Serve
2020-2021 People Served by Area of Weld County
- Carbon Valley (Berthoud, Dacono, Erie, Firestone, Frederick, Longmont, Mead, Northglenn, Thornton): 5
- County Seat (Evans, Garden City, Greeley): 21
- Outback (Briggsdale, Grover, New Raymer): 0
- Poudre River Corridor (Severance, Windsor): 5
- South County (Brighton, Fort Lupton, Hudson, Keenesburg, Lochbuie): 0
- Thompson River Valley (Johnstown, Milliken): 3
- US-85 Corridor South (Platteville, Gilcrest, LaSalle, Kersey): 2
- US-85 Corridor North (Eaton, Ault, Pierce, Nunn): 0
- Outside Weld County: 3
How We Impact
Irene G. "Everything :) I just want to say thank you for the celebrating our profession, you guys did an amazing job putting this event together. The care package that I received is awesome, I was like a kid in a candy store when I opened it up and looking thru everything that was in it. Adrianne is an amazing presenter always love to attend her trainings, she is very inspirational on the outdoor topics it makes you want to go outside and re-design your whole play area. I even got to see my garden and one of my kids in one of the power points. Again, thank you for all that you do for Family Childcare Providers!!"
What We Do
Download Program Overview (PDF document)
United Way of Weld County has teamed up with AmeriCorps, Youth for A Change, and Greeley-Evans School District 6 to offer Colorado Reading Corps, an evidence-based nationally implemented program that helps students build literacy skills and increase reading proficiency.
Full-time tutors provide daily 1-on-1 sessions with kindergarten through third grade students. Tutoring sessions occur outside of the student’s teacher-led reading instruction time during the school day. Tutors provide targeted reading skill practice in ten intervention areas such as phonemic awareness, phonics, and fluency. Students who receive Colorado Reading Corps services include those scoring “below target” on benchmark assessments administered by the tutors, and students receiving Title 1, special education, or English Language services.
Tutors are AmeriCorps members with an interest in social change; they are trained to provide reading instruction and receive a living allowance and earn hours of service toward an education award to pay for college tuition or to pay back college loans. Each tutor position requires a $10,000 annual sponsorship, paid for by United Way or another local organization. This fee covers program management and money due to the national AmeriCorps program.
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
"I had a third grader who had missed a LOT of school in kindergarten through second grade and was really behind. This student started third grade not knowing all of their letters and only recognizing three words on the beginning of the year assessment. They were reading at a kindergarten level. Even though we didn't start tutoring regularly until October due to the pandemic, this student made huge progress this year. They went from basically not being able to read at all to reading almost 50 words per minute. As we continued, their confidence shot up and they truly started to enjoy reading and school. Last week, they scored at a second-grade reading level and they are still making progress. They never gave up!"
"I had a second-grade student who was repeating second grade after she was held back a year. She had come from a more affluent school where she felt discouraged, and she fell really behind. She was reading at a kindergarten level when I started tutoring her. Later in the year, she told me, 'I look forward to our meetings every day and you've made me love reading'. I still tear up thinking about this. This made my year! She's now reading chapter books at home."
Tutors provide a significant extra layer of support during a school year when educators, students, and families continue to be deeply impacted by teh effects of the COVID-19 pandemic and resources are spread thin.
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.
What We Do
Download Program Overview (PDF document)
Creating the Covering Weld Diaper Bank has been a goal of UWWC early childhood development staff for the last few years; COVID-19 has accelerated its creation. From mid-March until the end of May 2020, UWWC staff made over 450 home deliveries of diapers, wipes, formula, and other necessities to families across Weld County, from Fort Lupton to Pierce, Johnstown to Kersey, and everywhere in between.
In addition to contact-less home deliveries during COVID-19, the Diaper Bank distributes large quantities of its essential supplies to other organizations that serve young children and their families. This provides an easy on-ramp for additional services, while addressing an immediate need with long-term physical and mental benefits. The Diaper Bank has also proved to open in-roads into previously unreached communities within the county. Families from several different refugee backgrounds, grandparents who previously refused assistance, and numerous teen mothers now accept Diaper Bank staff openly. By establishing trust with regular deliveries of essential items when needed, staff have been able to convince these families to get more intensive assistance from other places, like Early Head Start, SafeCare Colorado, and WIC, and to provide parenting education in small, digestible snippets.
Who We Serve
2020-2021 People Served by Area of Weld County
- Carbon Valley (Berthoud, Dacono, Erie, Firestone, Frederick, Longmont, Mead, Northglenn, Thornton): 77
- County Seat (Evans, Garden City, Greeley): 2100
- Outback (Briggsdale, Grover, New Raymer): 15
- Poudre River Corridor (Severance, Windsor): 21
- South County (Brighton, Fort Lupton, Hudson, Keenesburg, Lochbuie): 310
- Thompson River Valley (Johnstown, Milliken): 76
- US-85 Corridor South (Platteville, Gilcrest, LaSalle, Kersey): 191
- US-85 Corridor North (Eaton, Ault, Pierce, Nunn): 35
- Outside Weld County: 0
How We Impact
When Jackie and her husband decided to have another baby, they never dreamed they would end up having triplets! With a 3 year old and 3 new babies, money was tight. Then Jackie's husband was laid off. When Jackie's mother reached out to us to see if we could help, we were happy to. We provided Jackie and her husband with diapers, clothes, and books for the babies. We also connected them to a support group for parents of multiples. Jackie's husband found work again after a couple of months, and things are looking up. We were happy to be able to provide even a little support for those rough few months, and look forward to seeing all 4 children grow and thrive!
What We Do
Download Program Overview (PDF document)
The Expanding Quality in Infant and Toddler Care (EQIT) training is a 48-hour curriculum, and is offered twice per year in English and once per year in Spanish. The curriculum covers information including infant and toddler brain development, responsive caregiving, emotional development, motor development, language and literacy, understanding and respecting culture, inclusion/special needs, safe and healthy environments, positive guidance and more.
Participants may enroll through United Way of Weld County for certification and/or through Aims Community College to earn college credit. Grants are often available.
Upon completion of the training, participants will meet the state education requirements for Infant/Toddler Nursery Supervisor, Infant/Toddler Home License, 3 under 2 Family Child Care License, Large Family Child Care License or Experienced Provider Family Child Care License.
Who We Serve
2020-2021 People Served by Area of Weld County
- Carbon Valley (Berthoud, Dacono, Erie, Firestone, Frederick, Longmont, Mead, Northglenn, Thornton): 6
- County Seat (Evans, Garden City, Greeley): 12
- Outback (Briggsdale, Grover, New Raymer): 0
- Poudre River Corridor (Severance, Windsor): 1
- South County (Brighton, Fort Lupton, Hudson, Keenesburg, Lochbuie): 0
- Thompson River Valley (Johnstown, Milliken): 1
- US-85 Corridor South (Platteville, Gilcrest, LaSalle, Kersey): 0
- US-85 Corridor North (Eaton, Ault, Pierce, Nunn): 0
- Outside Weld County: 17
How We Impact
The instructors have reported the ability for increased engagement with the course materials, and the ability for them to attend class from home and allowed them to be less tired to attend as well as be ready for the next day of work due to the elimination of travel. Instructors managed to build relationships in this new platform.
What We Do
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United Way of Weld County helps businesses assess and set goals for creating family-friendly workplace practices.
In addition, companies can participate in the Family Business Solutions program, in which they designate a certain amount up to which they will contribute for child care provision. Full-time employees with children who are eligible for medical benefits at enrolled companies can then qualify for Family Business Solutions.
Each qualifying family receives assistance for children aged 12 and under. United Way of Weld County acts as the liaison between child care providers and the company. The provider bills United Way each month, and United Way in turn bills companies quarterly for applicable company employee child care costs.
Providing child care benefits doesn’t just help the employee. When companies provide child care, employee absences decrease by up to 30% and job turnover declines by as much as 60%. Participating companies can also earn a tax credit!
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): 25
- Outback (Briggsdale, Grover, New Raymer): 0
- Poudre River Corridor (Severance, Windsor): 0
- South County (Brighton, Fort Lupton, Hudson, Keenesburg, Lochbuie): 0
- 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
No program success story provided.
What We Do
Download Program Overview (PDF document)
The Northern Colorado Children’s Festival focuses public attention on the needs of Weld County’s young children and their families, and recognizes the early childhood programs and services available in the community. With the help of many other agencies, this event highlights children as the building blocks for our community’s future.
The festival offers many forms of quality play experiences for children ages 0-8. It provides children the chance to spend quality time with their parents and remain active and engaged while they all learn fun, educational activities that they can replicate at home.
Families attend for free. Upon arrival, each family is given a bag that includes parenting resources. At the 90+ booths, families engage in hands-on activities such as: developing fine motor skills; science and the human body; healthy eating and childhood obesity prevention; how to make homemade play dough; and fashioning crepe paper flowers. There are also booths that perform early childhood health screenings and give out new, age appropriate books. Onstage children’s entertainment is provided, including singers and dancers.
Who We Serve
2020-2021 People Served by Area of Weld County
- Carbon Valley (Berthoud, Dacono, Erie, Firestone, Frederick, Longmont, Mead, Northglenn, Thornton): 2
- County Seat (Evans, Garden City, Greeley): 283
- Outback (Briggsdale, Grover, New Raymer): 0
- Poudre River Corridor (Severance, Windsor): 5
- South County (Brighton, Fort Lupton, Hudson, Keenesburg, Lochbuie): 5
- Thompson River Valley (Johnstown, Milliken): 6
- US-85 Corridor South (Platteville, Gilcrest, LaSalle, Kersey): 16
- US-85 Corridor North (Eaton, Ault, Pierce, Nunn): 25
- Outside Weld County: 8
Find out more about this program:
2020-2021
How We Impact
We had a few calls from different families that thanked us for still holding the festival despite the pandemic. They were very excited to do the hands-on activities, learned about more resources they can access, and were glad to have books at home! They were especially glad their children had an opportunity to do something other than watching TV.
What We Do
Download Program Overview (PDF document)
The Providers Advancing School Outcomes (PASO) program is one of the first in Colorado to work specifically with the unlicensed family, friend and neighbor (FFN) child care setting, in this case with Spanish-only speaking providers. Through the program, the providers complete 120 hours of early childhood care and education training, mostly during weekend classes.
The curriculum is based on the Child Development Associate (CDA) certification program. Topics include: child development principles (cognitive, language/literacy, social-emotional, physical/motor), school readiness, child safety, nutrition, learning environment and more.
In addition to the weekend trainings, each participant receives visits from a PASO staff member who serves as a mentor. At these visits, the mentor observes the provider’s interactions with the children, reinforces and models activities taught in recent classes and provides support. Events are held throughout each cohort as well to celebrate the providers’ achievements, bring together providers and the families they care for and celebrate children.
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): 151
- Outback (Briggsdale, Grover, New Raymer): 0
- Poudre River Corridor (Severance, Windsor): 0
- South County (Brighton, Fort Lupton, Hudson, Keenesburg, Lochbuie): 19
- Thompson River Valley (Johnstown, Milliken): 0
- US-85 Corridor South (Platteville, Gilcrest, LaSalle, Kersey): 3
- US-85 Corridor North (Eaton, Ault, Pierce, Nunn): 0
- Outside Weld County: 22
How We Impact
This is Flor's testimony after graduating from PASO: "It changed my family's and my life. Thanks to these classes I learned how to help children in their behaviors and education. Even in my personal life it helped me a lot. Thanks to the PASO program, I now know about the development of children, the impact of having a routine, professionalism and more. Thanks for your help, PASO team. I am very grateful for this opportunity.”
What We Do
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Would you like assistance in finding resources to help your children with their education and growth? With guidance and support, you can become increasingly involved in home learning activities and find yourself with more and more opportunities to teach and guide your children.
The goal of www.unitedway-weld.org/roadmap4kids is to connect parents and caregivers with resources for children, prenatal-8 years of age, in Weld County so that all children grow up valued, healthy and thriving.
Who We Serve
2020-2021 People Served by Area of Weld County
- Carbon Valley (Berthoud, Dacono, Erie, Firestone, Frederick, Longmont, Mead, Northglenn, Thornton): 442
- County Seat (Evans, Garden City, Greeley): 972
- Outback (Briggsdale, Grover, New Raymer): 44
- Poudre River Corridor (Severance, Windsor): 177
- South County (Brighton, Fort Lupton, Hudson, Keenesburg, Lochbuie): 199
- Thompson River Valley (Johnstown, Milliken): 177
- US-85 Corridor South (Platteville, Gilcrest, LaSalle, Kersey): 99
- US-85 Corridor North (Eaton, Ault, Pierce, Nunn): 99
- Outside Weld County: 247
How We Impact
Grandma Tommie went to www.UnitedWay-Weld.org/RoadMap4Kids to discover several different activities she could do with her “grandbabies.” Tommie and her daughter are in a tough spot. They make too much money to qualify for most assistance programs but not enough to cover the costs associated with child care. As such, Tommie frequently takes care of her grandchildren in order to help her daughter and son-in-law meet their monthly budget. In her search for help, Tommie began learning about all of the different ways of working with children. It became very important to her to be an involved care giver and to not have her grandchildren sit in front of a TV or computer all day. Because of RoadMap4Kids, Tommie now has enough ideas and materials; she has her entire summer of child care activities planned out. “The RoadMap4Kids is simply amazing!,” says Tommie. Find resources for your family at www.UnitedWay-Weld.org/RoadMap4Kids.
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