July 2008 

2007 has been a significant year in the life of the Early Childhood Council of Boulder County and Bobbie and I would like to provide a summary of those events for you.

House Bill 1067 was passed in the 2007 legislative session which has significant implications for our Council work.  First, this legislation changed the 17 Councils status from “pilots” to “councils” so that legislative support for ongoing Council work is assured.  In addition, the number of Councils was increased from 17 to 31 thereby covering the vast majority of counties in Colorado.  House Bill 1067 also delineated not only what Council membership is required but also clarified the scope of work for the Councils both in the program and service arena as well as in their system building efforts.

Last fall, the Steering Committee of the Council met to determine how ECECBC could best meet the requirements of this legislation.  Recommendations from this strategic planning meeting included:

• Merging with the existing county 501(c)3 County Kids First in order that the Council receive a non profit designation
• Changing the name of the Council to the Early Childhood Council of Boulder County (ECCBC)
• Increasing the diversity of representation on the Board of Directors
• Recommending to the Board the addition of the Latino Task Force charged with identifying the early childhood program and service needs of the Latino community in Boulder County

These recommendations have gone a long way to support and enhance the work of ECCBC.  As a member of ECCBC, you will notice a couple of additional changes:

The Council membership, representing over 150 individuals and organizations across Boulder County, has historically met four times each year.  Attendance at the summer and winter meetings (July and December) has been sparse.  Therefore, the Board has decided to have two meetings per year (in October and in April) and to invite speakers who will address a broad range of issues pertinent to all young families throughout Boulder County.

Along with the change of name, the website has been re-designed and the domain name changed to www.earlychildhoodbouldercounty.  A link to the old website will remain for the next year.

We look forward to the release of ECCBC’s 2007  annual report as well as the Comprehensive Early Childhood Plan, both in early fall 2008.

Thank you for your continued support of ECCBC’s work in support of families with young children living in Boulder County.

Respectfully,
                                                                              
Steve Callander, Board President                                            Bobbie Watson, ECCBC Director