February 11, 2025 by coloradolab

Important Advancement for Notification of Substance Exposed Newborns

We’re shining a spotlight on an important advancement in caring for Colorado families affected by substance use during pregnancy. The Child Abuse Prevention and Treatment Act (CAPTA) requires states have policies and procedures to address the needs of substance exposed newborns. This includes a process for health care providers to notify child welfare of the […]

11 February 2025
February 11, 2025 by Shannon Willis

HB24-1428 Implementation Support: Evidence-Based Designations in Budgeting

The Colorado Lab serves as the statewide Coordinating Entity for Evidence-Based Decision Making in Colorado state government. In this role, the Colorado Lab is providing strategic consultation to the Office of State Planning and Budgeting (OSPB) and Joint Budget Committee (JBC) staff in collaboratively implementing House Bill (HB) 24-1428. This law requires an evidence designation […]

11 February 2025
February 11, 2025 by coloradolab

Family First Evidence-Building Hub: Annual Strategy Report

Colorado is making strong progress on implementation of its Five-Year Family First Prevention Services Plan. The plan is part of a broader strategy to further evolve the child welfare system to improve the safety and well-being of all children, youth, and families through a continuum of community-based prevention services and supports. The Colorado Lab serves […]

11 February 2025
February 11, 2025 by Shannon Willis

Released! Highly Anticipated Initial Findings for the Alternative Response Pilot for Adult Protective Service

Last month our first policy brief on initial outcomes of the Alternative Response Pilot was presented to the legislature by the Colorado Department of Human Services. Authorized by Senate Bill 21-118, the pilot provides an alternative pathway for Adult Protective Services (APS) to respond to reports of low-risk mistreatment and self-neglect. When allegations of self-neglect […]

11 February 2025
January 13, 2025 by Shannon Willis

Evidence Supports Making CAPABLE a Colorado Medicaid Benefit

We are excited to share our latest evaluation report, Colorado Community Aging in Place–Advancing Better Living for Elders (CAPABLE) Evaluation. CAPABLE provides each program participant with a series of visits from an interdisciplinary team—made up of an occupational therapist, a registered nurse, and a handy worker—to improve their mobility, everyday functioning, and independence. This is […]

13 January 2025
January 13, 2025 by coloradolab

Improving Outcomes for Child Welfare-Separated Families through Family Time

A new report from the Colorado Lab provides evidence-backed recommendations to improve outcomes for families separated during child welfare involvement. Best Practices for Family Time in Colorado: A Data-Informed Approach to Drive Outcomes is based on a statewide study authorized by Colorado House Bill (HB) 23-1027 and conducted by the Colorado Lab in partnership with the High […]

13 January 2025
January 13, 2025 by coloradolab

Colorado Wage and Outcomes Results Coalition Grows Reach

The Colorado Wage Outcomes Results Coalition (WORC) is a data-sharing initiative created in response to a growing demand from workforce development programs to know what happens to their learners after program participation. Leveraging the Linked Information Network of Colorado to access Colorado Department of Labor and Employment data, WORC is unlocking administrative data previously unavailable to […]

13 January 2025
December 9, 2024 by coloradolab

New Projects Underway at the Colorado Lab

In this month’s newsletter we highlight several new projects underway at the Colorado Lab. We value the opportunity to work with each partner, meeting them where they are, listening carefully to their needs and insights, and supporting them in obtaining the best available evidence to innovate, achieve goals, and use their resources wisely. We wish […]

09 December 2024
November 21, 2024 by coloradolab

New Project: Early Childhood Workforce Evidence-Building Hub

An Early Childhood Workforce Evidence-Building Hub has been created at the Colorado Evaluation and Action Lab (Colorado Lab) to oversee all evidence-building work on behalf of a new grant the Colorado Department of Early Childhood (CDEC) received from the Early Educator Investment Collaborative. This grant supports planning and implementation activities to increase and sustain increased […]

21 November 2024
November 21, 2024 by coloradolab

Evidence-Based Decision Making: Gearing Up for the New Legislative Session

We were honored to present earlier this month at the New Legislator Retreat for the incoming class of the Colorado General Assembly. The bipartisan event was hosted by Senators Chris Hansen (D) and Paul Lundeen (R), bringing together new legislators, Governor Polis, former legislative leaders, and others to build relationships and prepare for the new […]

21 November 2024