Benefits of Home Visitation Home visiting services are a crucial element of the support system available in Colorado to families with young children. Evidence shows home visitation provides multiple, sustained benefits for children, caregivers and families: Colorado’s Home Visiting Investment Task Force was formed by the Early Childhood Leadership Commission (ECLC) and charged with developing […]
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Washington Monthly: AP’s Equity Face-Plant
In an interview featured in the latest edition of Washington Monthly, Kristin Klopfenstein, Colorado Lab director and a nationally recognized expert on Advanced Placement (AP), notes that “AP was designed in the 1950s to be a program for precocious high schoolers who were very privileged. AP is serving exactly who it’s designed to serve, which […]
Cost Analysis: Colorado Community Response Program
Connecting families with concrete resources that meet basic needs and support economic well-being can lower stress and help parents to create long-term stability for their family. The Colorado Community Response (CCR) program is using this approach to reduce incidents of child neglect and abuse. Administered by the Office of Early Childhood (OEC) in the Colorado […]
Establishing a Baseline: Substance Use and Infant and Maternal Mortality
Substance use during pregnancy impacts people of all races, incomes, education and employment levels, across geographic regions, with young women and those living in poverty most deeply impacted. In Colorado, the state health department reported a 98% increase in newborns exposed to opioids prenatally between 2012-2018, and the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration […]
Investigating Allegations of Child Abuse and Neglect
View a brief video about the Colorado Lab-supported study of a collaborative approach to investigating allegations of child abuse and neglect. Dr. Kristin Klopfenstein, Director of the Colorado Lab, and Dr. Anne DePrince of the University of Denver’s Department of Psychology and the study’s principal investigator, spoke with Tiffany Madrid, Director of Legislative Affairs and […]
2021 Legislative Review
Several significant bills passed this legislative session, strengthening opportunities to improve the lives of Colorado residents across the lifespan, from prenatal care to early childhood development to adult services. The Colorado Lab worked together with state and local government agencies, legislators, the Governor’s Office, research colleagues, and subject matter experts to inform this suite of […]
Early Childhood Mental Health Consultation Program Expands to Address Growing Pandemic-related Need
The Colorado Department of Human Services, Office of Early Childhood (OEC), which administers the Early Childhood Mental Health (ECMH) Consultation Program, announced funding for 47 consultants statewide, an increase of nearly 38% from 2019 (34 consultants). The free and confidential program pairs mental health consultants with the adults who work directly with infants and young […]
Colorado Legislature Passes Brain Injury Pilot Program To Reduce Recidivism
We are excited to share that the Colorado legislature approved SB21-138, aimed at improving support for individuals in the criminal justice system with a brain injury. The Colorado Lab-supported study Reducing Recidivism for Justice Involved Individuals with Traumatic Brain Injury informed and prompted creation of law. Our research shows that 25-87% of inmates report having […]
Advancing Colorado as a Leader in the Clean Energy Economy
With climate change a growing concern globally, Governor Jared Polis set the ambitious goal of reaching 100% renewable energy in Colorado by 2040. The Governor outlined a roadmap, calling the goal a moral imperative to fight climate change and curb pollution of our air and water, as well as an opportunity to drive innovation in […]
Fostering Opportunities: Closing the High School Graduation Gap for Youth Who Experience Foster Care
Only one in four Colorado students who experience foster care during high school graduate with their class. Most interventions aimed at improving the graduation rates of youth who experience foster care are spearheaded by child welfare agencies or the judicial system with services typically ending when students exit the foster care system. Yet there is evidence […]