Colorado § 26.5-2-205 - Early childhood councils - membership.

§ 26.5-2-205. Early childhood councils - membership.

(1) To the extent practicable, each council must be representative of the various public and private stakeholders in the local community who are committed to supporting the well-being of children five years of age or younger.

(2) For the purposes of this part 2, each council, whether newly established in a community or newly identified to serve as a council, shall work toward consolidating and coordinating funding, including the school-readiness quality improvement funding described in section 26.5-5-102. Together, the councils throughout the state shall serve to create a seamless system of early childhood services representing collaboration among the various public and private stakeholders for the effective delivery of early childhood services to children five years of age or younger in a manner that is responsive to local needs and conditions.

(3) (a) Each new council consists of members to be approved initially by the convening entity as designated pursuant to section 26.5-2-203. Each individual council shall determine subsequent appointments and rules for rotation of terms.

(b) Early childhood council membership must include representatives from the public and private stakeholders from early care and education, family support, health, and mental health programs who reflect local needs and cultural diversity. The membership of each early childhood council must also represent the geographic diversity within the county or counties involved in the council. Each council must include a minimum of ten members with representation from each of the following stakeholder groups within the council's service area:

(I) Local government, including but not limited to county commissioners, city council members, local school district board members, and local county departments of human or social services;

(II) Early care and education, including but not limited to licensed and legally exempt child care providers, head start grantees, and district preschool programs operating pursuant to article 28 of title 22, as it existed prior to July 1, 2023;

(III) Health care, including but not limited to local public health agencies; health-care providers; supplemental food programs for women, infants, and children as provided for in 42 U.S.C. sec. 1786; early periodic screening and diagnosis and treatment programs as required by federal law; and part B and part C of the federal "Individuals with Disabilities Education Improvement Act of 2004", 20 U.S.C. sec. 1400 et seq., as amended;

(IV) Parents of children five years of age or younger;

(V) Mental health care, including but not limited to community mental health centers and local mental health-care providers;

(VI) Resource and referral agencies, including but not limited to child care resource and referral agencies; and

(VII) Family support and parent education, including but not limited to home visitation programs, family resource centers, and income assistance programs.

(c) In addition, each council may include, but is not limited to, representation from any combination of the following stakeholder groups within the council's service area:

(I) Child care associations;

(II) Medical and dental professionals;

(III) School district parent organizations;

(IV) Head start policy councils;

(V) A chamber or chambers of commerce;

(VI) Local businesses;

(VII) Faith-based and nonprofit organizations;

(VIII) Higher education institutions; and

(IX) Libraries.

(4) Each member of a council shall sign a memorandum of understanding on behalf of the organization the member represents to participate in and collaborate on the work of the council.

Source: L. 2022: Entire article added with relocations, (HB 22-1295), ch. 123, p. 597, § 3, effective July 1.

Editor's note: This section is similar to former § 26-6.5-103.5 as it existed prior to 2022.