Reflecting Back and Looking Ahead– Being FASD Aware is a Year-Round Endeavor

Reflecting Back and Looking Ahead– Being FASD Aware is a Year-Round Endeavor

by | Sep 30, 2022 | Advocacy, Becoming FASD Aware, FASD, General

At the beginning of September, we called on you to Show Your Respect This FASD Awareness Month. As the month comes to a close, we wanted to take a moment to reflect on all of the efforts that were made to spread awareness this month and look ahead to all that is still needed to work toward prevention of Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders (FASDs) and appropriate support for individuals and families in Colorado who are impacted.

 

A Month in Review: FASD Awareness Month 2022

Illuminate kicked the month off by focusing on FASD during our quarterly Luminary Lift Up session. Sharon Langendoerfer, a member of the SuPPoRT Colorado FASD Awareness Work Group and a retired neonatologist and pediatrician, helped attendees to become FASD aware with a presentation on the basics of FASD. The Work Group’s Chair and fierce FASD advocate, Marilyn Fausset, shared highlights about what the work group has accomplished – including the development of a list of Colorado Providers Equipped to Diagnose Under the FASD Umbrella– and what they are working toward moving forward. 

Susan Shepard Carlson, founder of Proof Alliance and FASD United board member, shared an overview of critical pending federal legislation known as ‘The FASD Respect Act’, which would reauthorize funding for prevention, screening, identification, research, and FASD-informed services, and Illuminate staff member, Cassie Davis, shared what the legislation would mean for Colorado and how to get involved in advocating for it.

Illuminate was thrilled to be able to put a major opportunity to advocate for the FASD Respect Act into action during the FASD United Affiliate Summit in Washington D.C. by meeting with the offices of Colorado representatives Diana DeGette and Joe Neguse and Colorado Senator John Hickenlooper to educate them about FASD and share information about and request their support of the pending legislation. 

Throughout the month, Illuminate was also proud to sponsor and participate in Run FASD, a virtual 5k to raise awareness and funds for FASD.

And it’s not just our organization who knows how important it is to be FASD aware, work to prevent FASDs from occurring, and support those who are impacted by it. Governor Jared Polis signed a proclamation in recognition of FASD Awareness Day, which reaffirms that “the health and well-being of the people of Colorado are enhanced by efforts to educate about, prevent, and support those impacted by FASDs”. 

View the Proclamation in Recognition of FASD Awareness Day

The Work Does Not End Here

While the official FASD Awareness Month is a wonderful time to place a particular emphasis on FASD, creating awareness and advocating for the prevention of and appropriate support for those impacted by FASD is a year-round endeavor. 

Here are just a few of the ways that we need you to continue to spread awareness and advocate beyond September: 

We are so grateful to all of our partners across Colorado and nationwide who tirelessly advocate for visibility and support for the FASD community, and we look forward to continuing to do so together!

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Act Now! Support the Reauthorization and Expansion of Critical Home Visiting Funding

Act Now! Support the Reauthorization and Expansion of Critical Home Visiting Funding

by | Sep 27, 2022 | Advocacy, General

Ensuring children’s earliest relationships and experiences are positive and nurturing lays the foundation for their lifelong health and well-being. At scale, stronger childhoods lead to stronger families and more successful communities. 

Home visiting programs support the creation of these conditions by using a two-generation approach that is proven to reduce child maltreatment, improve positive parenting practices, and increase family economic self-sufficiency by helping parents tap into the skills they already possess and bring out the best in themselves.

Continuing and improving this support to families cannot wait

Despite the proven success and critical nature of these programs, existing Maternal, Infant, and Early Childhood Home Visiting (MIECHV) funding is both insufficient to meet the needs of all families who need these services and is set to expire on September 30th. 

The unmet need for these services in Colorado is significant: While some level of home visiting services is available in all counties, according to the Child Fatality Prevention System’s 2020 Annual Legislative Report, “Not a single county in Colorado… has home visiting programs to meet the overall needs of families in the county.”

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Read the Child Fatality Prevention System’s 2020 Annual Legislative Report

Hope is here!

Thanks to the advocacy of the Home Visiting Coalition, Prevent Child Abuse America, and home visiting advocates around the country, a critical piece of legislation that would both reauthorize and make drastic improvements to federal MIECHV funding– the Jackie Walorski Maternal and Child Home Visiting Reauthorization Act– was recently introduced and unanimously passed by the U.S. House Ways and Means Committee.

This exciting bill would:

  • Bolster the capacity of existing evidence-based programs that are proven to reduce child abuse and neglect by increasing funding for program implementation 
  • Advance equity by doubling the amount of funding that is set aside for Tribal home visiting programs
  • Enable programs to support families in the way that works best for them by continuing to allow visits to be conducted virtually 
Learn more about the proposed legislation here.

What can we do to help? 

Illuminate staff had a chance to meet with Senate and House offices in DC last week to reiterate the importance of this funding for Colorado families– but you don’t have to go to DC to support getting this bill passed!

The Home Visiting Coalition suggests the following key actions in support of this legislation:

  • Reach out to your representative about the need for bipartisan reauthorization. The House Ways and Means Committee’s vote is a big step forward, but Congress needs to enact these policies to realize the opportunity they offer. Meet with, call, and email your Members of Congress to urge them to prioritize a bipartisan MIECHV reauthorization that lifts up the priorities of increased funding, doubling the Tribal set-aside, and allowing virtual home visits.
  • Reach out to U.S. House members requesting their co-sponsorship. Further co-sponsors will help demonstrate the broad bipartisan support for this bill to Congressional leadership. You can see a list of current co-sponsors here.
  • Engage policymakers on social media using this toolkit. Please use these sample messages and tag your Members of Congress to thank them for supporting and co-sponsoring, or to encourage them to do so.

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Art for Advocacy: Register Today for Strolling Thunder Colorado 2022!

Art for Advocacy: Register Today for Strolling Thunder Colorado 2022!

by | Sep 13, 2022 | Advocacy, General

Make your voice heard with and for Colorado families with young children! Join Illuminate Colorado and our partners on Oct. 1 for the fifth annual Strolling Thunder Colorado. This year’s family-friendly event will be held virtually from 9:30 – 11 a.m.  

Join families and advocates from around the state as we raise our voices using art for policies that families with young children need. Illuminate is proud to be a hosting partner of Strolling Thunder because child care, paid leave, and other family supports strengthen the foundation for families and communities to thrive. 

 

Learn more from our friends at the Colorado Children’s Campaign and register for the event below:

At Strolling Thunder, attendees raise their voices for babies and their families in a fun, family-friendly setting. The event celebrates recent wins at the legislature, brings attention to what families need to thrive, and helps participants connect with their state and local elected officials. This year’s event theme is “Art for Advocacy.” Register today by clicking here. All who register by Sept. 17 will receive an art kit for the art activity and a care package before the event.  

 

Strolling Thunder Colorado brings together people who care about babies and their families at an event featuring guest speakers, story time, a dance party, an art activity, and an advocacy training. Each year, it encourages elected officials to make pregnant people, babies, and their families a priority when policy decisions are made. The event is hosted by Raise Colorado, Clayton Early Learning, Colorado Association for Education of Young Children (COAEYC), Colorado Children’s Campaign, Early Childhood Council Leadership Alliance (ECCLA), Illuminate Colorado, and ZERO TO THREE.  

As a part of this event, Raise Colorado is asking community members to share photos of them and their children strolling – whether that be taking a walk in a park or pushing their child in a stroller, as well as a quote sharing why they think it is important to prioritize pregnant people, babies, and their families in Colorado. This is optional, and photos and quotes will be shared at the event and possibly on host organizations’ website. To make a submission, please click here.

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Register for Strolling Thunder Today!

Register by clicking here before September 17th to receive an art kit for the art activity and a care package prior to the event!

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Show Your Respect This FASD Awareness Month

Show Your Respect This FASD Awareness Month

by | Sep 1, 2022 | Advocacy, FASD

Each September, we recognize Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder (FASD) Awareness Month to bring awareness to the many individuals and families who are impacted by the effects of prenatal exposure to alcohol in Colorado and across the United States.

What is Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder (FASD)? 

FASD, an umbrella term used to describe a range of effects that can occur in a fetus exposed to alcohol before birth, is the most commonly known cause of developmental disabilities in the United States.

While the exact number of people who have FASDs is unknown, it is estimated that up to 1 in 20 U.S. school children may have an FASD, with 1 in 7 pregnancies being alcohol-exposed. In Colorado in particular, an estimated 15.4% of pregnant individuals in our state drank alcohol during the last 3 months of their pregnancy, according to the most recently available Pregnancy Risk Assessment Monitoring System (PRAMS) data.

Learn More About Alcohol and Pregnancy

Have questions about the relationship between alcohol, pregnancy and FASD? Learn more on our Alcohol & Pregnancy topic page.

When children, adults, and families impacted by FASD receive appropriate diagnoses, supports, and services, secondary impacts of FASD—such as dropping out of school, getting into trouble with the law, and substance use—can be prevented, and impacted individuals and families can thrive.

While we know the importance of providing appropriate services for pregnant people impacted by alcohol use and families who are impacted by FASD, significant and concerning gaps in FASD-related preventive, diagnostic and clinical resources are common in Colorado and throughout the United States. 

The Time is Now!

This September, we have a particularly momentous opportunity to build on and improve our nation and the state of Colorado’s efforts to prevent alcohol use during pregnancy, support those who are struggling with alcohol use during the perinatal period, and provide concrete supports to individuals and families impacted by FASD. 

The “FASD Respect Act” (S. 2238 and H.R. 4151), legislation currently being considered at the federal level, would reauthorize vital funding for prevention, screening, identification, research, and FASD-informed services. 

It reauthorizes and strengthens existing federal FASD programs, replaces the defunct National FAS Taskforce with a National Advisory Council on FASD, and establishes a FASD Center of Excellence as the go-to entity for state, tribal and local governments and non-governmental stakeholders seeking to develop or improve best practices for prevention, diagnosis, and intervention services. Find more information about the proposed legislation here. 

How Can I Show My Respect for Coloradans Impacted by FASD?

Whether you are an individual Coloradan or a Colorado organization that cares about ensuring that those who are using alcohol during pregnancy and those impacted by FASDs are treated with the respect they deserve and receive the support that they need, we need YOU to help ensure that Congress passes this vital legislation. 

Advocacy Opportunities

  • To advocate for the passage of the FASD Respect Act on behalf of an organization, sign on to the Letter of Support.
  • To advocate for the passage of the FASD Respect Act as an individual, reach out to Colorado’s senators and the representative for your district to schedule a meeting.

Need help? Find support with scheduling and hosting a meeting with your legislator here and/or by reaching out to Cassie Davis at cdavis@illuminatecolorado.org.

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You Can Ensure All of Colorado’s Kids Have Access to Healthy School Meals

You Can Ensure All of Colorado’s Kids Have Access to Healthy School Meals

by | Aug 4, 2022 | Advocacy

With the first day of the 2022-2023 school year just around the corner, parents and caregivers across Colorado have many things on their minds and to-do lists, from readjusting to school year schedules to the excitement of being reunited with previous classmates and meeting new ones. Something they shouldn’t have to think about? How, or even if, they will be able to ensure that their kids have access to a nutritious breakfast and lunch during the school day.

Food for Thought

When kids are well-fed, their physical, mental, and social well-being increase and families are able to build Parental Resilience and Social & Emotional Competence of Children, two of the Protective Factors that support the prevention of child maltreatment and set the foundation for kids and families to thrive.

During the first few years of the COVID-19 pandemic, a federal waiver provided access to free school meals for all students, increasing participation in school meal programs by up to 20%. Its expiration prior to the upcoming school year will leave Colorado students whose families’ income is too high to qualify for free or reduced-price lunch programs–but not high enough to afford school meals–hungry or with school lunch debt. For families who do qualify, the expiration of the federal waiver means dealing with burdensome enrollment paperwork and the stigma that comes with participating in free or reduced-price lunch programs.

What’s on the table?

House Bill 22-1414 Healthy Meals for All Public School Students, a bill passed during this year’s state legislative session, refers a question to the November 2022 ballot for Colorado voters to decide whether to make access to free school meals for all students permanent in our state, starting in the 2023-2024 school year. 

In addition to increasing the economic security of families and ensuring that all students are able to meaningfully engage in both the academic and social aspects of school, this measure would further strengthen Colorado families and communities by incentivizing the purchase of ingredients from local food systems, increasing wages for individuals employed by school meal programs and offering healthier meal options to students. If passed, the program would accomplish this by offering: 

    • An option to participate in a local procurement grant program that would provide schools with funds to purchase food from local farms and ranches.
    • An option to participate in a grant program that would enable schools to increase pay for the staff who serve and prepare meals for students.
    • Funding for equipment and training to provide students with healthier meals.

What can I do?

Here’s how you can support the efforts to make access to healthy school meals a reality for all Colorado students:

 

Vote YES on this November’s ballot question about providing school meals for all students. 

    • Make sure you’re ready to vote on this November’s ballot! In Colorado, you can REGISTER TO VOTE and vote in person up to 7 p.m. on Election Day, November 8th. In order to receive a ballot in the mail, the deadline to register to vote or update your registration is October 31.
    • You can also sign up for BallotTrax – a system promoted by the Colorado Secretary of State that will allow you to track your ballot from sent to accepted. Sign up for BallotTrax here!

Engage in the Healthy School Meals for All Campaign’s official campaign launch events (Stay tuned to Illuminate Colorado’s social media channels for more details!)

    • In-person in Denver on Thursday, August 11 at 10:30 a.m.
    • Regional kick-off dates and details to come!

Sign up to actively participate in the Healthy School Meals for All coalition’s efforts to pass the ballot initiative in November.

What about the 2022-2023 school year?

If your family or a family you know needs support with accessing school meals during this upcoming school year, see below (click on the image to enlarge) or visit the USDA National School Lunch Program webpage for information about how to find out if you qualify for support with accessing school meals during the 2022-2023 school year.

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Illuminate Colorado’s Statement on Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization

Illuminate Colorado’s Statement on Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization

by | Jul 5, 2022 | Advocacy, Featured, News Release

Like many Americans, we are still processing what the recent Supreme Court decision to overturn Roe vs. Wade means for families. We are grateful for the advocacy led by Colorado Organization for Latina Opportunity and Reproductive Rights (COLOR) and Cobalt on the Reproductive Health Equity Act HB22-1279, which protects pregnant people’s rights to access reproductive care, including abortion, in Colorado.

Children do well when their parents, caregivers and communities do well. Ensuring pregnant people have accessible and responsive reproductive and maternal health care is crucial to family well-being. Research shows that abortion access increases educational attainment and workforce participation among women and improves outcomes for children.1 Protecting women’s and families’ ability to determine and exercise their own reproductive choices equates to advancing broader economic equity and social justice for women and families for generations to come and is all the more important for people who already face systemic obstacles to health care and economic opportunity.234 Access to concrete supports in times of need—including comprehensive health care that is inclusive of abortion services—is a research-based protective factor that lowers the risk of child abuse and neglect, and is a key way to ensure that families get off to the best possible start. 

At Illuminate Colorado, our values and foundations call us to focus on ensuring people have the supports and resources they need to thrive – not dictating what people can decide about their bodies and their futures. In particular, our organizational foundation of being Family and Community Driven means that we believe families and communities are experts of their own experiences and should be in the driver’s seat of their lives. While we are disheartened by the Supreme Court’s decision, we are also motivated. Together, we remain committed to advocating to ensure all families can determine their pathway to parenthood, which ultimately will lead to more safe, healthy and thriving families.

Necessary and Adequate Medical Care for Your Child is Not Child Abuse
Citations

1) The Economic Effects of Abortion Access: A Review of the Evidence, The Institute for Women’s Policy Research, iwpr.org/iwpr-issues/reproductive-health/the-economic-effects-of-abortion-access-a-review-of-the-evidence/

2) Linking Reproductive Health Care Access to Labor Market Opportunities for Women, Bahn, Kugler, Mahoney, Corley, and McGrew  2017.

3) The Costs of Reproductive Health Restrictions, The Institute for Women’s Policy Research, iwpr.org/costs-of-reproductive-health-restrictions/

4) The Turnaway Study, ANSIRH, www.ansirh.org/research/ongoing/turnaway-study

 

 

Jade Woodard

Jade Woodard

Executive Director

Jade has served as the Executive Director of Illuminate Colorado since its inception in 2015, following 7 years as the Executive Director of founding partner agency, the Colorado Alliance for Drug Endangered Children. 

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