The West Steps

Colorado Children's Campaign
  • 4.9 (10)
  • GOVERNMENT
  • UPDATED BIWEEKLY
The West Steps

The West Steps explores the issues that matter for Colorado kids and families.  The West Steps is a production of the Colorado Children's Campaign.

  1. MAY 8

    Bilingual Child Care Licensing is About More Than a License

    In this episode of The West Steps, we’re discussing efforts to improve language access and language justice in Colorado by making sure that critical resources and information are available in languages that are prevalent in our state. Earlier this year, Colorado’s legislature passed a bill to make sure that child care licensing resources in our state are available in Spanish as well as English. Lauren Corboy, Senior Policy Analyst at the Colorado Children’s Campaign and Angelica Priscil...

    40 min

  2. APR 24

    What Colorado Can Do in 2024 to Improve Perinatal Health

    In this episode of The West Steps, we’re discussing maternal health and maternal mortality in Colorado. Unfortunately, large regions of the state have been dubbed maternal care deserts because of their very limited access to perinatal health care. Pregnancy-associated deaths in our state are becoming more common. And many of these deaths are preventable. But Colorado has taken steps to address this situation in recent years – and in the 2024 legislative session, there are new efforts to...

    46 min

  3. APR 10

    What Does It Mean to Center Kids in Colorado’s School Funding Formula?

    In this episode of The West Steps, we’re discussing Colorado’s school funding formula, which is used to allocate billions of dollars annually to educate kids across the state’s 178 school districts. For the first time in 30 years, the state legislature is seriously considering updating this formula. If they can pull it off, Colorado will have a more equitable, student-centered approach to funding its schools. Madi Ashour, Director of Youth Success at the Colorado Children’s Campaign; Lor...

    42 min

  4. MAR 27

    How a Family Affordability Tax Credit Could Cut Child Poverty in Half

    In this episode of The West Steps, we’re discussing the Family Affordability Tax Credit (HB24-1311), a new proposal in the Colorado legislature that has the potential to reduce child poverty in Colorado by half. Sarah Barnes, Senior Director of Policy at the Colorado Children’s Campaign and Reilly Pharo Carter, Director of Policy & Advocacy at Gary Community Ventures join us to talk about how this credit, which is projected to reach 45% of Colorado families, could make a particularl...

    23 min

  5. MAR 13

    Kids Are Losing Health Coverage at an Alarming Rate

    Since May 2023, more than 100,000 kids and nearly 550,000 Coloradans have lost Medicaid coverage. In this episode of The West Steps, we’re exploring why so many Coloradans are losing health coverage and why it matters. Hunter Nelson, Senior Policy Analyst at the Colorado Children’s Campaign; Bethany Pray, Deputy Director at the Colorado Center on Law and Policy; and Shoshi Preuss, Policy Manager at Colorado Community Health Network join us to talk about how people who are still eligible ...

    46 min

  6. FEB 28

    Could a $1500 Tax Credit Make a Difference for the Caring Economy?

    In this episode, we’re diving into an effort to create a State Income Tax Credit for Careworkers, which would credit $1,500 to child care workers and caregivers, direct care workers, home health aides, and other people who work in the caring economy. Melissa Mares, Director of Early Childhood at the Colorado Children’s Campaign; Perrine Monnet, Policy Analyst at the Bell Policy Center; and Emily Sirota, Colorado State Representative join us to talk about how this tax credit would ...

    37 min

  7. FEB 14

    Out-of-School Programs Are Facing a Funding Cliff: What Can Colorado Do?

    During the COVID-19 pandemic, Colorado invested about $20 million relief dollars in out-of-school time programming, which supported 45 grantees and 60 programs across the state. But those dollars are running out, and many programs face uncertain futures. And even with this investment, the supply isn’t meeting the demand – by one estimate, nearly 400,000 Colorado kids are on a wait list for out-of-school time programming. Kaycee Headrick, Executive Director of the Boys & Girls Clubs i...

    20 min

  8. FEB 2

    Colorado Needs Better Data About Evictions

    National research shows that families with children are more likely to experience an eviction – and that evictions can be extremely disruptive for kids’ education, health, and overall well-being. But data about what is happening across Colorado is inconsistent and hard to access. The Colorado Children’s Campaign and Enterprise Community Partners join us to talk about a new bill that would improve our state’s eviction data collection – an important step toward creating policies to prevent unne...

    27 min
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4.9
out of 5
10 Ratings

About

The West Steps explores the issues that matter for Colorado kids and families.  The West Steps is a production of the Colorado Children's Campaign.

Information

  • Creator
    Colorado Children's Campaign
  • Years Active
    2019 - 2024
  • Episodes
    100
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © 2024 The West Steps
  • Show Website
    The West Steps

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