Colorado Legislative Session Ends with Big Wins for Kids

Washington, D.C. (May 12, 2022) –Save the Children Action Network, the political advocacy arm of Save the Children, is excited by all the Colorado legislature accomplished for kids during this year’s session, which ended today.

Policymakers passed the Early Childhood Educator Tax Credit, an important recruitment and retention tool that will provide qualified educators an income tax credit. The legislature also invested 100 million dollars to expand access to high-quality early education and care programs, such as home visiting and family, friend and neighbor child care. And, legislation was passed to implement universal preschool for every four-year-old in Colorado, beginning in 2023.

“We applaud the Colorado legislature for so monumentally investing in children this legislative session. The investments in early childhood education, in particular, will play a critical role in Colorado’s recovery from the pandemic, which exacerbated Colorado’s child care crisis and hugely strained our early education workforce,” said Annalise Romoser, Colorado State Manager at Save the Children Action Network. “To see legislation that works to address both of these issues is encouraging.”

The legislature also made an important step toward combatting child hunger in Colorado by passing House Bill 1414 – Healthy School Meals for All Public School Students – which creates a ballot measure so that Coloradans can vote to approve universal school meals.

“We know that child nutrition is absolutely critical to a child’s healthy growth, development and academic success. The legislature’s prioritization of child nutrition together with early childhood education is a win that our advocates have been pushing hard for,” continued Romoser.

Throughout the legislative session, Save the Children Action Network advocates in Colorado have provided testimony, and sent hundreds of signatures and emails to their legislators in support of these child-centric pieces of legislation. Save the Children Action Network will continue to work in close partnership with coalition partners, Governor Polis and state policymakers to ensure all children have the early learning opportunities and nutrition needed to thrive in school and in life. 

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Save the Children Action Network was created in 2014 as the political advocacy arm of Save the Children, to be the political voice for kids. We work to ensure that the issues critical to children’s lives and futures are given top priority by our elected leaders, building bipartisan support to make sure every child has a strong start in life. Follow us on FacebookInstagramTwitter and YouTube.