Mission Statement
A community partnership dedicated to improving the well-being of all children in Weld County by focusing on the critical growth and brain development period from pre-birth to eight years of age to promote school readiness and lifelong success. Weld County Early Childhood Council (WCECC) grew out of our community’s concern for the continuing decline in the well-being of Weld Coun
ty’s children as represented by the Colorado Children’s Campaign “Kids Count” Report Card. WCECC is a Weld County community collaborative formed in 2000, facilitated by United Way of Weld County. WCECC’s dedication to the well-being of young children includes an extensive support structure that facilitates the effective development and execution of its programs and services. In addition to the original conveners, multiple community leaders representing business, education, government, service providers and families make up the Weld County Early Childhood Council. This group is responsible for developing projects, providing visibility and credibility to the program, managing committees, supervising funding, monitoring progress, and assuring accountability. Community Family Support/Evision’s Local Interagency Coordinating Council, Health and Wellness/Young Child Wellness Council (Project LAUNCH), Bright Beginnings Home Visitation, Early Care and Education Services/School Readiness, Professional Development/Love to Learn, Awareness and Events, Colorado Preschool Program Committees are in place to address specific tasks and provide the working structure for the WCECC Initiative. In 2007, Colorado House Bill 1062 authorized the creation of the Colorado Early Childhood Councils. The intent of the Councils as stated in the legislation is to “improve and sustain the availability, accessibility, capacity and quality of early childhood services for children and families throughout the state.” According to the legislation, these Councils were established “for the purpose of developing and ultimately implementing a comprehensive system of early childhood services to ensure the school readiness of children five years of age or younger in the community”. Currently, there are 31 Early Childhood Councils in Colorado. These 31 Councils represent almost all of the counties in Colorado – 58 out of the 64. Because of this comprehensive coverage, Councils are able to support early childhood efforts targeting a majority of the children and families in our state. The Councils are a critical piece of early childhood services delivery throughout our state. They focus on advancing programs, resources and support around early learning, family support and parent education, and social, emotional, and mental health. They work to bring together local partners to improve the quality and availability of early childhood services for children and families in their communities. While not all Councils offer direct services to children and families, they do work with partners in order to assure that services are available. The Councils work to improve the systems and coordination of services. They embrace the vision of a comprehensive, connected network of resources and services that promote positive outcomes for young children and their families.
