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...

While this year’s Colorado legislative session may be over, opportunities to advocate for policies that strengthen kids and families continue at the federal level. Raise your voice, and join Illuminate in advocating for the policies below!Child Care and Early Learning...

Colorado’s 2022 legislative session wrapped up earlier this month, and Illuminate is thrilled that all of the bills that we supported and tracked due to their capacity to strengthen families by building Protective Factors that prevent child maltreatment (as well as...

Colorado’s 2022 legislative session ends this Wednesday, May 11th, and your voice is needed now more than ever to get bills that will support our state’s kids and families over the finish line! We’ve put together a list of bills that are still moving and ways you can...

With HB22-1240 Mandatory Reporters making its way through the Colorado legislature, an opportunity to transform how we approach ensuring child and family safety and well-being, including reducing disparities, is on the horizon for our state.  The bill highlights the...

Colorado prospers when our youngest children thrive because they are our future workers, leaders and community members. No matter where they live–the plains, mountains, rural areas or urban centers–children need high-quality experiences and loving relationships to...

Illuminate Colorado is proud to join a wide array of healthcare providers, community organizations and citizens across Colorado in advocating for HB22-1289 Health Benefits For Colorado Children And Pregnant Persons, a recently-introduced bill being led by the Center...

When we work together to build Protective Factors, it is possible to create a Colorado where all children and families thrive. House Bill 22-1259, a bill that would enhance our state’s efforts to invest in the well-being of Colorado families by making critical...

Increasing food access in schools is on the menu at the Colorado legislature this legislative session. SB22-087 Healthy Meals for All Public School Students, a bill that would make school meals available at no cost to all students in participating Colorado school...

Earlier this week, HB22-1055, a bill being led by the Don’t Tax Dignity Coalition and proudly supported by Illuminate Colorado, passed its first hearing with a bipartisan vote of 8-3 in the House Finance Committee. HB22-1055 Sales Tax Exemption Essential Hygiene...

Research published in Creating a Colorado Where Children Grow Up Free From Sexual Abuse: An Issue Brief on the Prevention of Child Sexual Abuse in Colorado at the end of 2021 indicates that the conditions are right and the time is now for Colorado to invest resources...

The regular session of the Colorado General Assembly kicked off on Wednesday, January 12th, and Illuminate Colorado is continuing its commitment to ensuring Colorado's state policies build brighter childhoods for all Coloradans. Illuminate has prioritized 2022 policy...

Colorado has reached another milestone in building towards COVID-19 recovery for families. Building on the roughly $800 million of state stimulus funds already already invested in Colorado’s COVID recovery, last week Governor Jared Polis, legislative leadership,...

For all families and communities to thrive, state and local officials must utilize an inclusive approach to family economic security as we push toward a post-pandemic Colorado. Unfortunately, current state law requires verification of legal presence when determining...

Our future workforce, innovators, leaders and community members can only reach their full potential through thoughtful development and investment in services and policies that strengthen families and protect children. Given the unprecedented challenges the pandemic...

Safe and stable housing is essential for the health and well-being of everyone, especially for children and families. Colorado’s Child Fatality Prevention System 2020 Legislative Report specifically recommends the support of policies that expand access to quality,...

Simply put, children do well when their parents and caregivers do well, and ensuring pregnant and postpartum people have accessible and responsive maternal health care is crucial for family well-being. State Senator Janet Buckner and Representative Leslie Herod are...

Policymakers have the opportunity to ensure our state continues to invest in our communities to strengthen families through our state budget and through federal stimulus funding next month. Responding to immediate needs of families is crucial during this pandemic, and...

Now more than ever, we all face challenges in our lives where we could use extra support. When families have access to behavioral health resources to meet their needs, we strengthen the foundation for families and communities to thrive. When the demands of raising...

As a country, we are about to make one of the biggest investments in family strengthening in decades. In times of stress, such as the current COVID-19 pandemic and economic downturn, there is a direct correlation between families’ economic and social struggles and...

Gov. Jared Polis put forward a significant investment in hardworking Coloradans by proposing to “double the Earned Income Tax Credit, and provide up to $600 in tax credits per child for nearly 200,000 families in our state through the Colorado Child Tax Credit”. Creating communities where families are able to meet their basic needs like food, shelter, medical care and child care by strengthening household financial security is proven to reduce the risk factors for child abuse and neglect.

The Colorado General Assembly is reconvening on Tuesday, February 16th after a month-long pause due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Advocacy work in a virtual environment will continue to require flexibility and adaptation, and Illuminate remains committed to ensuring our...

When families, organizations, communities and policy makers focus on building protective factors, we can effectively prevent child maltreatment and keep families strong during the pandemic and beyond. Last week, state legislators were called together by Governor Jared...

Colorado voters have proved how they have the power to affect the lives of children and families in their community and influence the statewide prevention of child maltreatment. Coloradans voted in record numbers this year, with the turnout among active registered...

We all face challenges in our lives when we could use extra support. When families have information and access to available local resources to meet basic needs, we strengthen the foundation for families and communities to thrive. As we cast our ballots - due in just...

Colorado prospers when Colorado families and communities prosper.With ballots in mailboxes and on kitchen tables across the state, Colorado voters now have the opportunity to ensure every family has access to Paid Family and Medical Leave (PFML), securing Colorado’s...

Today is the first day that Colorado counties can begin mailing ballots to registered voters for the 2020 General Election. For the first time in Illuminate Colorado’s history, our organization is sharing public positions on several ballot measures because we want...

Elected officials up and down the ballot can impact our daily lives and the well-being of our communities. From health care to housing, education to immigration, and child care to local taxation, elected officials influence programs, policies, and funding that...

After six years of effort, SB20-028 Substance Use Disorder Recovery passed and has been sent to the Governor. The bill contains a crucial statute change that supports recovery for caregivers with substance use disorders (SUDs) while also ensuring children’s...

After a two month pause in the state legislative session due to the COVID-19 pandemic, legislators returned with a specific focus: to pass a balanced state budget as well as pass bills that will support Coloradans through the pandemic. We’ve outlined outcomes...

The Joint Budget Committee began meeting last week to weigh potential budget cut options to reconcile the $3 billion revenue shortfall that Colorado is facing as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. Illuminate Colorado empathizes with members of the Joint Budget...

Today is Prevent Child Abuse America’s Digital Advocacy Day for Child Abuse Prevention Month, and we need your help! In times of duress, such as the current COVID-19 pandemic and economic downturn, there is a direct correlation between families’ economic and social...

Each April, communities across Colorado come together to challenge one another to do more to promote healthy child development, strengthen families and prevent child abuse and neglect. This effort is especially timely this year in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic....

The COVID-19 pandemic is presenting unprecedented challenges for families, organizations, and communities across the world. Children and families must be supported as our state and federal government weigh potential solutions. The Colorado Supreme Court will decide...

This week, four different Illuminate policy priorities had important next steps--hearings and budget figure setting votes. Illuminate staff proudly testified in strong support of each of the bills below: The Helping Colorado Families Get Ahead Act: On Tuesday,...