Early Childhood Colorado Partnership Overview
Historical Background and Evolution
Early childhood partners in Colorado believe that when the various public and private organizations
and agencies administering early childhood programs and supports work in a concerted approach, the
result is a more effective and efficient service delivery system for children, families, and
communities. The coordination, sustainability and accountability for a comprehensive cross-sector
system have been ensured through various iterations of a multi-agency early childhood collaborative
for the past two decades. The development of the Early Childhood Colorado Framework (Figure 1)
in 2008 was a pivotal point in Colorado’s early childhood systems history. The Framework’s design
recognizes the needs of the whole child and family, communicates the collective vision for
comprehensive early childhood work, focuses on specific measureable outcomes and is used to
guide, organize and focus the actions and accountably of public and private stakeholders.
Figure 1. Early Childhood Colorado Framework
The multi-agency collaborative that came together to develop and monitor the implementation plan
for the Framework began discussing concepts put forth in the 2011 article by John Kania and
Mark Kramer published in the Stanford Social Innovation Review entitled “Collective Impact.”1
1
Kania J, Kramer M. Collective Impact. Stanford Social Innovation Review. Winter 2011.
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The Collective Impact literature resonated with the partners because it underscored the fact that
large-scale social change requires broad, cross-sector coordinated and aligned efforts. Partners
have long believed that no one single entity or organization can be nor should be solely responsible
for ensuring all Colorado’s children are valued, healthy and thriving. Collective Impact provides
the common language, processes and conditions necessary to achieve this impact.
In 2012, early childhood partners formally adopted the Collective Impact approach, developed a
charter, and became the Early Childhood Colorado Partnership. At the same time, The Civic Canopy
was designated as the neutral, backbone organization that supports the Partnership’s collective
approach.
Early Childhood Colorado Partnership – 2013 and Beyond
The Early Childhood Colorado Partnership (Partnership) is a network of partners from state and
local agencies, statewide nonprofits, local early childhood councils, foundations and universities
committed to ensuring the vision of the Early Childhood Colorado Framework is effectively
implemented in Colorado. The Partnership provides the space and conditions for diverse partners
across the comprehensive early childhood system – encompassing health, mental health, family
support and early learning – to come together, identify common results, share best practices,
implement strategies and track progress towards indicators of child and family wellbeing and
systems performance improvement. Results Based Accountability has been adopted to develop,
guide and inform the partnership’s collective work.
The Partnership has developed, and continues to refine and solidify, an infrastructure and support
model as described in Kania and Kramer’s (2013) “Embracing Emergence: How Collective
Impact Addresses Complexity” 2 and depicted in Figure 2.
Figure 2. Cascading Levels of Collaboration (Kania and Kramer)
2
Kania J, Kramer M. Embracing Emergence: How Collective Impact Addresses Complexity. Stanford Social
Innovation Review. January 2013.
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The Partnership Steering Committee is the coordinating group that provides strategic leadership,
oversight, direction and guidance to all aspects of the Early Childhood Colorado Partnership.
There are currently five Working Groups, four Result Work Groups and a work group focused on
Data Development. The Data Development Work Group provides expertise around populationlevel indicators and performance-level measures, addresses gaps in data, and monitors progress
on data development items. The Result Work Groups are organized around the four identified
desired results for Colorado’s young children and their families: Children live in safe, stable and
supportive families and communities; Families are engaged as leaders in their child’s healthy
development and education; Children’s health and development are on track; and Children of all
races and income levels are successful learners. The Result Work Groups follow a Results Based
Accountability process to use data to inform the development of and monitor progress towards
strategies and actions. The full group of partners meets every-other-month to learn together,
generate ideas for collective action, and monitor progress.
The Partnership receives backbone organization support from The Civic Canopy (Canopy). The
Canopy has been involved in state comprehensive early childhood systems work since 2009
when state partners contracted with the Canopy to design, facilitate and monitor the process for
development and implementation of the Framework in Action State Plan: 2010-2012. When the
Partnership developed its Charter based on Collective Impact literature, the functions of a
backbone organization were described as follows: oversee basic Partnership functions; provide
leadership, facilitation, staffing, administration, and data management; and maintain technology
to make visible to all what is happening in the various Work Groups. The Civic Canopy, through
contracts, has provided these backbone functions for the Partnership since fall 2012.
Theory of Change/ Logic Model
The theory of change that guides the Early Childhood Colorado Partnership is grounded in four
pillars that are important to all aspects of the Partnership’s work: a Collective Impact approach;
scientific research; continuous quality improvement and Colorado values.
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Collective Impact
The ECCS multi-agency state team, in all its expressions, has continuously aspired to the highest
levels of collaboration, recognizing that partners working together in a coordinated and
cooperative manner will lead to social change that no single partner can achieve alone. The Early
Childhood Colorado Framework has been an illustration of this value since 2008. As the
literature around Collective Impact advanced as a replicable approach and more effective
process, the Partnership increasingly embraced the five conditions of 1) a common agenda, 2)
shared measurement, 3) mutually reinforcing activities, 4) continuous communication and 5)
backbone support. The most recent article, “Embracing Emergence: How Collective Impact
Addresses Complexity,”3 is expanding the understanding of partners regarding the conditions of
complexity that underlie social problems and fostering deep appreciation for an approach that
values and unites emergent solutions with intentional outcomes. A developmental evaluation
approach, referenced in Collective Impact literature and described in Michael Q. Patton’s book,
Developmental Evaluation: Applying Complexity Concepts to Enhance Innovation and Use,4 will
be used to ensure collective and continuous learning about the transformative processes of the
collective impact approach to this project.
Scientific Research
Early childhood partners have long intuited the connection between early childhood experiences
grounded in safe, healthy, loving and enriched parent and community environments and a
healthy, thriving child. Today, the growing body of scientific evidence linking lifespan
trajectories for health, educational achievement and social-emotional sturdiness to the quality of
a child’s earliest experiences as an infant and a toddler and a deep appreciation that large-scale
social change requires broad, cross-sector coordinated and aligned efforts, compel Colorado’s
early childhood partners to act. Literature from the Center on the Developing Child at Harvard
University, the Academy of Pediatrics, and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, as well
as other sources, guides and informs the Partnership’s work.
Continuous Quality Improvement Embedded within Results Based Accountability
In the summer of 2012, The Colorado Trust hosted a two-day peer match meeting to connect
Colorado early childhood stakeholders to national experts to learn about effective data sharing
tools and strategies being implemented in other states and communities. The result was the
adoption of the Results Based Accountability (RBA) framework. The Trust subsequently
supported the Results Leadership Group (http://resultsleadership.org/about-rlg/) to provide
training and technical assistance on RBA to the Partnership. In October 2012, partners
participated in a full-day RBA training that provided a foundational understanding of RBA
language and approach that the Partnership is now using as a disciplined, iterative process for
analyzing data, planning, and monitoring strategies and actions.
3
Kania J, Kramer M. Embracing Emergence: How Collective Impact Addresses Complexity. Stanford Social
Innovation Review. January 2013.
4
Quinn Patton M. Developmental Evaluation: Applying Complexity Concepts to Enhance Innovation and Use.
The Guilford Press, New York, NY. 2011.
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Colorado Values
The Early Childhood Colorado Framework, clearly describes Colorado’s values and guiding
principles for early childhood systems work as:
• Be child-focused and family centered in the work;
• Recognize and respond to variations in cultures, languages, and abilities;
• Use data to inform decisions;
• Build on strengths of communities and families;
• Focus on children from birth to age 8;
• Promote partnerships; and
• Act at state, local, and statewide levels.
Progress During 2013
The first step in Results Based Accountability, and essential to a Collective Impact approach, is
to be clear about the desired Result for the target population and the population-level indicator(s)
that describe the extent to which the result is being achieved. Partners finalized Result statements
and looked at a list of potential indicators generated from a scan of the following resources:
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Framework in Action State Plan: 2010-2012
Colorado Early Childhood Needs Assessment, 2011
Colorado School Readiness Indicators Project, 2004
Mile High United Way Indicators Project, 2012
Cursory review of Council Grant Review spreadsheet, 2012
Prevention Leadership Council Plan: 2010-2013
Using the following decision tree, partners applied criteria to identify the population-level
indicators with the highest communication, proxy and data power.
Figure 3. Indicator Selection Process and Criteria.
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The list of Results and related population-level indicators were finalized by Partnership and several
key data gaps were noted. A Data Development Work Group was formed to address the gaps and
finalize a list of population-level indicators, as well as needed areas and plans for further data
development. The Data Agenda was reviewed by the full Partnership in February 2013 and
provided the starting point for moving through the RBA process.
Table 1. Early Childhood Colorado Partnership Data Agenda.
Result: Children live in safe, stable, and supportive families and communities.
Headline Indicators:
% of families relying on low cost food.
% of children in households that spend more than 30% of their income on housing.
Maltreatment rates (physical, sexual, emotional abuse, neglect) for children birth to 8 yrs./1,000.
Data Development Agenda:
Alternative indicator for abuse/neglect rates.
Indicators related to Protective Factors.
Rate of substantiated abuse and neglect for 0-3.
% of families which screen positive for domestic violence.
Result: Families are engaged as leaders in their child’s healthy development and
education.
Headline Indicators:
% of children ages 1-5 years whose family members read to them 3 or more times per week.
Attendance rate during the elementary school year.
% of families who took child on a community outing (e.g. park, library, zoo, shopping, church,
family gathering, restaurant) during the past week.
% of families who ate XX meals together in the past week.
Data Development Agenda:
Indicators related to Protective Factors.
Indicator related to attributes of family leadership. (TBD)
Indicator of families engaged/leading at community, policy level. (TBD)
Result: Children’s health and development are on track.
Headline Indicators:
% of parents with concerns about child’s emotions, concentration, behavior or ability to get
along with others .
% of babies born at a low birth weight (less than 2500 gm).
% of children 2-14 overweight or obese.
% of children (kindergartners and/or 3rd graders) who experience dental caries.
% of kindergarten-bound preschoolers assessed through Colorado’s child outcomes
measurement system who are on track for school success based on three major outcomes.
Data Development Agenda:
% of children not needing further evaluation based on developmental screening, clinical
observation or parent concern.
% of infants born preterm.
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% children demonstrating school readiness skills. (Kindergarten Entry Assessment)
Result: Children of all races and income levels are successful learners.
Headline Indicators:
% of 3rd grade students proficient in reading and math on CO’s standardized achievement test.
% of 4th grade students in CO who performed at or above proficient on the NAEP.
Attendance rate during the elementary school year
% of K-3rd grade students on track for being successful readers.
% of 1st -3rd grade students with a home language other than English making adequate progress
towards English language proficiency.
Data Development Agenda:
#/% of children K-3rd with chronic absence.
% of students K-3rd grade who move off of Reading Plans.
Social/emotional skills. (indicator TBD)
Upon development of the Data Agenda, a Work Group was developed for each Result area with
two to four partners identified as Work Group Chairs. Chairs receive RBA coaching and
technical assistance to provide facilitation and guidance to Result teams and capture Work Group
conversations, ideas and plans. In April 2013, the Partnership’s Result Work Groups identified
one population-level indicator from the Data Agenda) and complete a full “Turn-the-Curve”
activity (Figure 4). “Turn-the-Curve” is a systematic RBA process for determining the best
actions to improve the forecasted trend of a population-level indicator. Groups look at data
trends overtime, discuss the root cause and contributing factors, identify partners who can
influence the curve, and brainstorm potential strategies considering “low-hanging fruit,”
evidence of what works, and creative, emergent ideas.
Figure 4. Results Based Accountability, Turn-the-Curve Process
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Results Based Accountability and the disciplined and iterative Turn-the-Curve thinking is used
as a continuous quality improvement mechanism to understand and use data to generate
collective strategies and actions throughout the Partnership’s work. During the summer and fall
of 2013, the Partnership has identified collective commitments towards ensuring the two result
areas: “Children’s Health and Development is on Track” and “Children Live in Safe, Stable and
Supportive Families and Communities.”
For more information about the Early Childhood Colorado Partnership, contact
earlychildhood@civiccanopy.org.
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