We’re pleased to share the new report, Promoting Evidence-Based Decision-Making in Colorado State Government: From Vision to Implementation and an Executive Summary. The report outlines four strategic goals to guide implementation of the EBDM vision over a span of five years.
Each January, SMART Act hearings provide a key opportunity to demonstrate the high value Colorado places on EBDM in state government. To support this process, the Colorado Lab developed a cue card with a menu of possible questions legislative committee members can ask agencies during SMART Act hearings.
The newly-released Family First Annual Evidence-Building Strategy Report provides ongoing guidance to the Colorado Department of Human Services and Family First implementation partners to ensure strategic investments in evidence-building for programs/services positioned to meet the needs of children, youth, and families.
The Colorado Department of Human Services has partnered with the Colorado Lab to coordinate rigorous evaluations of
programs/services prioritized by the state for Family First. As the designated Family First Evidence-
Building Hub, the Colorado Lab is accepting Letters of Interest from research teams interested in receiving funding to design and conduct a rigorous evaluation.
House Bill 23-1027 was passed to promote high quality family time in Colorado. The Colorado Lab is partnering with the High Quality Parenting Time Task Force to conduct a statewide study on parenting time practices and develop data-informed recommendations on best practice standards for delivering family time that drive positive outcomes for children, youth, and families.
In October, Drs. Courtney Everson and Kristin Klopfenstein presented on the development and initial implementation of the Evidence-Based Decision-Making (EBDM) approach in Colorado to state legislators, budget officers, and impact officers from 10 states.
A newly created evidence portfolio process supports the consistent application of Evidence-Based Decision-Making by state agencies during budget and policy decision-making. State agencies can use this tool to apply evidence to drive outcomes, leverage data to inform learning and action, and build evidence on what works and for whom, while promoting innovation.
The Colorado Lab is coordinating and overseeing the efforts of multiple teams evaluating stimulus-funded activities through the Early Childhood Evaluation Hub. The Hub approach offers a number of benefits, including reduced administrative/financial burdens for the state, aligned evaluations that are anchored to a shared vision, and findings that are translated into actionable insights for policy and practice.
With a clear, shared understanding of what Evidence-Based Decision-Making (EBDM) is, the next step in creating an EBDM culture is for decision-makers, agency leadership, and staff to commit to routinely using the EBDM approach, consistent with each of their roles.
The Colorado Child Care Assistance Program (CCCAP) helps families who are working in low-wage jobs, searching for work, in school, or experiencing homelessness to find child care assistance. The aim of the stimulus-funded CCCAP Teacher Wage Increase Pilot is to provide a livable wage to early childhood teachers in CCCAP-participating programs.