The Colorado Lab is excited to have been selected to provide research and evaluation technical assistance to the evaluation staff at the Employment and Benefits Division (EBD) of the Office of Economic Security at the Colorado Department of Human Services.
Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library is inspiring a love of reading for children in Colorado, across the U.S. and around the globe. The nonprofit provides books at no cost to families with young children (0-5 years old) to foster a love of books and promote a culture of reading among families. The Colorado Evaluation and Action Lab is supporting the Imagination Library of Colorado (ILCO) in assessing the impact the book program is having on kindergarten readiness scores.
The Colorado Evaluation and Action Lab is supporting the Imagination Library of Colorado (ILCO) in assessing the impact the book program is having on kindergarten readiness. Because the state of Colorado does not collect student-level kindergarten-readiness data, a statewide study is not possible.
The Employment and Benefits Division (EBD) of the Office of Economic Security at the Colorado Department of Human Services administers Colorado Works (TANF) and Colorado Refugee Services Program, employment programs, and adult financial programs. The Colorado Lab will support EBD in designing and implementing statutorily-required evaluations and help division staff develop the internal capacity to leverage the available data to most effectively inform policy and practice.
Colorado Lab projects underway to effectively implement policy wins from the 2021 legislative session.
Colorado Lab studies informed an array of legislation in this year’s session, including bills that were passed to strengthen care and learning for preschoolers and increase pathways to high school graduation. Our efforts included working with partners to conduct research studies, providing expert testimony, and evaluating the effectiveness of models.
Through the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 (ARPA), the federal government provided $3.8 billion to Colorado in support of pandemic-related recovery efforts across health, education, economic development, housing, and other public sectors. The Colorado Lab supportED the state in identifying opportunities to learn from these investments. The goal was for evaluation processes and findings to inform and advance each agency’s immediate public benefit efforts and provide learnings to target future innovation and investments.
With funding support from the Governor’s Emergency Education Relief Funds (RISE) and implementation support from the Colorado Lab, Centennial BOCES, home to the state’s largest Migrant Education Program, is addressing many of the pandemic-caused education, economic, social, and health challenges that have affected so many students, families, schools, and districts, especially in rural communities.
The Office of Early Childhood (OEC) at the Colorado Department of Human Services (CDHS) received a $119 million increase in Child Care and Development Fund grant funding, authorized through the Coronavirus Response and Relief Supplemental Appropriations Act. The funds will be used to help support the recovery and growth of the child care industry.
Through the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 (ARPA), the federal government provided $3.8 billion to Colorado in support of pandemic-related recovery efforts across health, education, economic development, housing, and other public sectors.