Welcome to
El Paso County's Early Childhood Council
Alliance for Kids is Open and Ready to Assist You!
Has Alliance for Kids moved?? Not yet…our AFK offices are in a building that is now on the market. Until a sale goes through, your Early Childhood Council will remain here on Robinson Street ready to assist you!! Stay tuned to Facebook, Instagram, and our website for location updates.
Our Vision
The Vision of Alliance for Kids to make El Paso County the best place to raise a child is realized through the collaborative efforts of community leaders from early care and education, health, mental health, and family support programs. These individuals come together as members of the AFK Council to ensure that families thrive and ALL children develop their potential.
Our Mission
Our Work
Alliance for Kids works with local service providers and organizations to support young children and families in El Paso County to:
- Ensure that each and every child experiences an equitable, high quality continuum of services and supports that leads to success in school and life.
- Improve the quality of early learning environments to prepare young children to enter kindergarten; build the resources and skills of families; and ensure that families have access to social, physical, and mental health services.
- Be a hub for partners, providers, caregivers, policy makers, and business leaders to coordinate, collaborate, and align resources.
Alliance for Kids is an initiative of its fiscal agent Joint Initiatives for Youth and Families.
Individuals, organizations, businesses, advocates, and community members - all working together to improve the lives of children and families.
Alliance for Kids is here to assist providers, leaders, teachers, or those pursuing a career in early childhood education.
We support parents & caregivers with resources to build strong families. This includes extended family, guardians, and foster care providers.
Questions & Answers
to help you get started...
Alliance for Kids can help parents and families looking for quality child care. We are not a provider, but we can connect you with the resources and information you will need to get started. Please call us, or visit our Finding Quality Child Care page under the Parents & Families menu for more details. If you need financial assistance, you will find information on programs.
Alliance for Kids maintains a calendar of parenting classes. Some are offered by our Family Support & Education Specialist, and others are offered by partner organizations. Visit FamilySPEAK under the Parents & Families menu for more information or go directly to FamilySPEAK.org.
First, you will need to find out if you are required to become licensed. Please visit our Opening a Child Care page for complete details. If you do need to be licensed, there is contact information on that page for our Director Coach who will assist you, as well as the local agency that handles licensing (Institute for Racial Equity & Excellence – IREE).
Yes. Alliance for Kids has several different early childhood education scholarships depending upon the need of each student. Our Professional Development Specialist can provide guidance. For more information, visit the Scholarships page under Providers | Leaders | Teachers.
Alliance for Kids can help early care and education programs and family child care providers with both aspects of Colorado Shines. Whether it’s the Quality Rating Improvement System (QRIS) or the Professional Development Information System (PDIS), we are here to assist you! Visit the Quality Programming tab under Providers | Leaders | Teachers for more details and contact information for staff that can assist you.
Alliance for Kids can help early care and education programs and family child care providers with both aspects of Colorado Shines. Whether it’s the Quality Rating Improvement System (QRIS) or the Professional Development Information System (PDIS), we are here to assist you! Visit the Quality Programming tab under Providers | Leaders | Teachers for more details and contact information for staff that can assist you.
& Coaching Recipient
Our newsletters are monthly and provide early childhood information, professional development opportunities, and information for families.
News
Help Us Connect With Families!
The Colorado Office of Early Childhood (OEC) wants to hear from families of children 0-5 across Colorado to learn about
Colorado Shines Quality Improvement Grant NOW OPEN! New Eligibility Criteria Allows More Programs to Engage!
The Colorado Shines Quality Improvement Grant is live for the 2019-2020 year! New eligibility criteria allows more programs to engage
We’re on Instagram | August EC News
The August Edition of the EC News is now available! We’re excited to announce our new Instagram page and invite
Upcoming Events
Community Resource Directory
Your Guide to local resources and supports for parents, Caregivers, and families.
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