Colorado’s 5-Year Family First Prevention Services Plan advances evidence-based programs and services to support child welfare-involved families with the goal of keeping children safe and more families together. The Colorado Lab leads the Family First Evidence-Building Hub on behalf of the Colorado Department of Human Services. We work with cross-system prevention partners to co-create a […]
Youth
Trauma-Focused Cognitive Behavioral Therapy in Schools
The Colorado Evaluation and Action Lab (Colorado Lab) serves as the coordinating hub for Family First rigorous evaluation efforts on behalf of the Colorado Department of Human Services. In this role, we provide guidance and ensure strategic investments in evidence-building for promising programs, with the goal of informing selection and scaling of services that help […]
Fostering Opportunities Now a Proven Practice
Share on twitter Twitter Share on linkedin LinkedIn Governor Polis signs the Foster Youth Success Act. Left to right: Elysia Clemens, Deputy Director/COO, Colorado Evaluation and Action Lab; Minna Castillo Cohen, Director, Office of Children, Youth and Families, Colorado Department of Human Services; Representative Dafna Michaelson Jenet, Chair, House Public Health Care and Human Services […]
Estimating Homelessness Among Young People
The lack of reliable data on the prevalence of young people experiencing homelessness makes it difficult to provide responsive services or develop prevention strategies. To bridge this critical knowledge gap, the federal Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) funded the Center for Policy Research and the Colorado Lab to generate a more complete estimate […]
Runaway Foster Youth: Child Protection Ombudsman Task Force
The Timothy Montoya Task Force to Prevent Children from Running Away from Out-of-Home Placement was established by House Bill 22-1375 for the purpose of analyzing the root causes of why children run away from out-of-home placement. The Colorado Lab conducted focus groups with children in out-of-home placement and young adults under 22 who aged out […]
Family First Annual Strategy Report
The aim of Family First in Colorado is to support child welfare-involved families receiving evidence-based services and support that help to keep children safe and more families together. Our new Evidence-building for Family First: Rigorous Evaluation Annual Report provides ongoing guidance to ensure strategic investments in evidence-building for services and programs positioned to meet the needs […]
2022 Legislative Session: Informing Key Legislation
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. HB22-1295 – Department of Early […]
Center for Policy Research Selected as TF-CBT Evaluation Team
The Colorado Lab is guiding and coordinating the ongoing rigorous evaluation of evidence-based services that are part of Colorado’s Family First Prevention Services Plan, in partnership with the Colorado Department of Human Services. In our October newsletter, the Colorado Lab released a call for external research partners to support us in executing our evidence-building work […]
Building an Evidence Base for Family First Prevention Services
The Family First Prevention Services Act incentivizes state systems and local agencies to move intentionally toward child welfare approaches that prioritize keeping kids safe and families together. This legislation authorizes federal reimbursement to states for the delivery of evidence-based services aimed at preventing the need for foster care. Eligibility for these federal funds requires ensuring […]
School Counselor Corps Grant Program Evaluation
Nationally, COVID-19 has highlighted the instability of relying on a small number of school counselors to guide hundreds of students through changing academic hurdles, prepare them for an uncertain future, and triage increasing mental health challenges. Colorado has one of the lower students-per-counselor ratios nationally—with 295 students per counselor in the 2019-20 school year—in part […]