SUPPORTING DOUGLAS COUNTY’S BRIGHT FUTURE
The Douglas County Early Childhood Council (DCECC) works to ensure our community’s youngest children and families have a strong local system that supports children’s healthy development, school readiness, and family well-being and stability.
We work with child care professionals, families, healthcare providers, mental health providers, the school district, local leaders, and many other partners to enhance the quality and availability of child care and early education opportunities for children.
Douglas County Early Childhood Council Mission
The mission of Douglas County Early Childhood Council is to promote the development of the whole child, birth to five, by fostering collaboration with families and providers. We are dedicated to providing awareness and access to high quality resources and supports; and utilizing community partnerships to ensure every child has a nurturing and responsive early childhood experience.
Douglas County Early Childhood Council Vision
We strive to ensure all Douglas County families and early learning professionals have an awareness of and equitable access to high quality early childhood services, systems, and supports.
Our History
One of 34 regional Early Childhood Councils in Colorado, we serve as Douglas County’s early childhood hub.
The goal is to ensure that the youngest children are ready for school and families have the support they need to thrive.
Families with young children need support from different and distinct systems. These include healthcare, mental health care, child care, nutrition support, and other resources. Without Early Childhood Councils, Colorado families often struggled to access essential support.
Early Childhood Councils were established by legislation to facilitate local collaboratives of public and private stakeholders working in close partnership.
In June 2007, the Douglas County Early Childhood Council was formally recognized as an early childhood council. Since that time, our role in coordinating early childhood services, building and maintaining strong partnerships, and sustaining a strong early childhood system has grown and evolved. Today Douglas County’s Early Childhood Council works across the three early childhood domains in the Early Childhood Colorado Framework: Learning and Development, Health and Well-Being, and Family Support and Education.
DCECC’s Major Funders
Office of Early Childhood provides DCECC with systems-building and quality improvement grant funds to “…to increase and sustain the availability, accessibility, capacity, and quality of early childhood services throughout the state.” (HB07-1062).
Buell Foundation, the longest private funder of DCECC, provides grant funds to create strong and stable general council operations and to increase capacity to conduct their work.
DCECC’s Partners
DCECC has a broad representation of local community stakeholders who collaborate together to strengthen the system of early childhood in Douglas County such as the school district, Dept. of Human Services, early intervention, health department, mental health network, library system, child care professionals, and parent representatives.
Our Mission
The mission of DCECC is to foster and promote a comprehensive, high quality, and responsive system of early childhood services
and supports for families with children, prenatal to age eight.
Our Vision
Ensuring that every child in Douglas County has the foundation to Reach for the Stars!