Common
Questions
JI was founded in 1989 by Robert Van Cleave of the El Paso County Department of Human Services, Charles Vorwaller of Pikes Peak Mental Health, and Judge Richard Toth, District Court. These three individuals met to discuss their concerns about the number of children and youth that were being placed in out-of-county and out-of-state residential placements. Through this initial collaboration, out-of-county placements were reduced by 40%. JI became a Colorado nonprofit corporation in 1995 and obtained tax-exempt status in 1996.
Joint Initiatives has played a significant role in addressing the community’s early childhood education needs over the years. The Early Childhood Council, housed by JI under the Foundations Program, is legislatively charged with increasing and sustaining the quality, accessibility, capacity, and affordability of early childhood services for young children 0-5 years and their families in the areas of early care/child care and education (ECE), family support, mental health, and health.
Last fiscal year (July 1 2020 – June 30, 2021), the following key services and successes were noted by JI’s Foundation’s Program:
- All 430 ECE programs were provided outreach; 50 ECE programs applied for supports through the Council and received free intensive quality improvement supports.
- A total of 608 coaching hours were provided to these ECE programs/ ECE workforce.
- Forty-five (45) ECE programs received early language and literacy coaching as well as to increase family partnerships, which raised their level of quality as rated by the Colorado Shines Point Structure through the Quality Rating Improvement System (QRIS).
- Early Childhood Mental Health Specialists provided 5,241 hours of mental health classroom consultation to increase ECE workforce skills in children’s behavioral/social and emotional supports.
- Forty (40) additional ECE programs defined as the Family, Friends, Neighbors (FFN) network caregivers were provided in-home behavioral/mental health supports.
- Five hundred fifty-six (556) ECE workforce members participated in behavioral/mental health training/workshops.
- Scholarship dollars of $14,585 were provided to future EC workforce candidates for ECE or Director qualification attainment, maintenance, or enrollment in higher education.
- Twenty-four (24) professionals were supported with higher education scholarships and/or Child Development Associate (CDA) certification renewals.
The Pathways Program has been a proven, successful program since 2017. Pathways is charged through their state contract to serve a minimum of 901 young people annually. However, in 2020-21, Pathways served 1461 children and youth, 560 more community members than the program was obligated, due to the demand. Of those, 100% of youth were diverted from being committed to the Division of Youth Services, 75% reported improved school attendance, and 98% of youth reported no substantiated abuse findings after services began. In addition, JI offers youth pro-social activities to turn the trajectory of their current path. This past summer, 214 youth attended summer youth camps as part of this program.
Data from 2018-2020 shows similar community impact:
- Of those pre-adjudicated youth served, 98% did not fail to make a court appearance, and 97% did not incur new charges.
- Of participating youth who had been sentenced, 99% did not fail to make a court appearance, and 97% did not incur new charges.
- Of participating youth enrolled in municipal court, 100% did not fail to make a court appearance, and 95% did not incur new charges.
- Of those youth who were emergency released, 70% were not re-detained.
- CYDC reported similarly high rates for the prior year (July 2018 -June 2019).
JI’s Voices Program is new and the gathering of data to evidence its impact is underway. Data will be added here soon, and current program highlights include:
- JI is in the beginning stages of collaboration with Concrete Couch and their “Concrete Coyote” Initiative, which consists of developing donated land in the Southeast part of our community to build a safe space for playgrounds, soccer fields, camping amenities, and climbing walls. The collaborative possibilities are endless!
- JI’s Racial Equity Action Plan (REAP) began the process of addressing internal equity/conflict resolution with the completion of 4 staff connection groups this year.
- JI is offering a 5-part Racial Equity Learning Series for the community and its staff. This series is a robust learning opportunity with space for dialogue and understanding to cultivate a more equitable and inclusive workforce better able to serve our community.
FAQs By Program
Foundations
Alliance for Kids is the Early Childhood Council of El Paso County, housed under the Foundations program of Joint Initiatives. This oversight group, consisting of 20 community members, guides the strategic planning and oversees the implementation of those plans for our community.
The Foundations program supports families looking for quality child care. We are not a child care provider, but we can connect you with the resources you need to get started. Please call us at 719.205.2691 or visit the Finding Quality Child Care page. If you need financial assistance, you will find this information included.
The Foundations program maintains a calendar of parenting classes and events on this website. Visit the Community Family Calendar for current listings.
If you are required to be licensed, are interested in Pre-Licensing classes, or need other support, please visit our Opening a Child Care page for complete details.
Yes, the Foundations program offers scholarships depending upon the needs of each student and the availability of funding. Visit the Early Childhood Workforce page for more information.
Yes, you can connect with an Early Childhood Career Navigator for free. Visit BuildMy ECECareer.com to get started. They will help chart the path forward and understand all of your options, including:
- What skills or previous education of yours could easily transfer to a career in early childhood education
- Where to take introductory classes and how to take advantage of earn-and-learn opportunities
- How to find career openings in your area and which positions you are already qualified for
- Help with answering questions about PDIS, a CDA, or becoming Early Childhood Teacher qualified
The Foundations Team at Joint Initiatives for Youth + Families is your local early childhood liaison, dedicated to supporting ALL early childhood programs and professionals in building strong early childhood foundations for children and families. We provide support based on needs and individual starting points – almost always at no cost. These include supports related to QRIS and PDIS, as well as accessing grant funds – both stimulus funding from the State and Colorado Shines Quality Improvement grants. You can visit the pages under the Foundations menu and check out our flyer HERE to learn more.
Yes, the Foundations program posts early childhood career opportunities. Early childhood programs may visit the Careers page to submit your information. Through the collaborative efforts of our El Paso County Early Childhood Workforce Taskforce, we also offer a comprehensive Wages + Stages Toolkit for ECE Programs.
Each family has unique needs and our Family Support Line offers assistance in navigating the many resources available to families with young children.
Call us at 719.205.2691 to:
- Get connected to parenting events, workshops, and classes
- Find child care
- Receive support to navigate resources in El Paso County
- Learn more about early intervention services or Child Find
- Receive a copy of our Community Resource Directory
- Learn about kindergarten transition and get connected to school readiness resources
Share our Family Support Line Flyer with others!
The Foundations program 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 Programs page for more details and contact information.
Joint Initiatives has been selected as the Local Coordinating Organization (LCO) for UPK and is excited to provide a hub of information HERE. UPK launched in August 2023 after Colorado House Bill 22-1295 (Department of Early Childhood and Universal Preschool Program) was passed with bipartisan support on April 25, 2022. This bill established operations and governance structures for the Colorado Department of Early Childhood (CDEC), moved programs to this new department, and established the Colorado Universal Preschool Program. Additionally, the bill established a new state-local partnership model: Local Coordinating Organizations (LCOs). In El Paso County, the Legacy Institute funded and convened stakeholders to determine the local organization best suited to apply for this role.
Voices
Giving young people a voice in those things that impact their lives, including school or programs, empowers them and makes them feel like they belong, they are valued, and their contributions matter. These feelings of competency also help youth fully engage and develop team-building and leadership skills.
Many people speak with their voice every day — to talk to people, to communicate their needs and wants — but the idea of “voice” goes much deeper. Having a voice gives an individual a sense of agency and power, allows for the expression of beliefs, and creates meaningful dialogue during decision-making processes.
DEI refers to Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion.
Diversity includes all the ways in which people differ, and it encompasses all the different characteristics that make one individual or group different from another.
Inclusion is an active, intentional, and ongoing engagement with diversity, which authentically brings traditionally excluded individuals and/or groups into processes, activities, and decision/policy making in a way that shares power.
Equity assures conditions exist for optimal access and opportunity for all people, with a particular focus on promoting policies, practices, and procedures that do not advantage one group of people over others.
Inclusion in the workplace is one of the most important keys to retention. Employees are more likely to remain with organizations that value their ideas, presence, and contributions.
Equality is about sameness or uniformity, while equity addresses universal fairness. When systems are built on equality, they assume that everyone is starting from the same point. Equity assures conditions exist for optimal access and opportunity for all people, acknowledging people have different needs and circumstances.
Allyship is critical to fostering an inclusive culture.
The right policies alone cannot shift culture. It’s critical that employees become part of the cause. That’s where allyship comes in. Research shows allies don’t just influence one person at a time. They inspire others to act as change agents, too, creating a culture of acceptance and support. Simply put, allyship is a powerful force for good.
But here’s the problem: Many employees are not showing up as allies.
While a majority of employees think of themselves as allies, relatively few white employees are performing basic allyship actions, such as advocating for racial equity or mentoring women of color. Allyship at Work helps to bridge this gap by helping employees at every level of your organization identify specific ways they can take action to make a meaningful impact.
Each family has unique needs and our Family Support Line offers assistance in navigating the many resources available to families with young children.
Call us at 719.205.2691 to:
- Get connected to parenting events, workshops, and classes
- Find child care
- Receive support to navigate resources in El Paso County
- Learn more about early intervention services or Child Find
- Receive a copy of our Community Resource Directory
- Learn about kindergarten transition and get connected to school readiness resources
Share our Family Support Line Flyer with others!
Pathways
Individuals and/or organizations requesting a service or payment of bill should use the Service Referral/Financial Assistant Request
and attach any invoices or additional paperwork required. See form HERE for details or email assistance@jointinitiatives.org
for help filling out the request.
Individualized Service and Support Team (ISST) is a planning process that is youth- and family-focused, community-supported, and promotes collaboration and coordination among systems. Additional types of ISST include:
- Expedited ISST serves youth ages 10-17 with juvenile justice involvement.
- Truant ISST is for youth with truancy charges or at-risk of truancy and identified/referred by school districts.
- Child ISST is for youth ages 0-10. This early intervention ISST provides planning for youth identified in early childhood settings with behavioral concerns or through the courts with open Dependency and Neglect cases.
ISST can be requested by the Court, GALs, Attorneys, Probation, Care Coordinators, DHS, schools or school representatives, or concerned community members. This list is not exhaustive but can be used as a guide. Requests for an ISST can be initiated using a questionnaire link, and are reviewed to determine the best venue based on the ages of youth and family needs. Questions about ISST and how to request one can be emailed to intake@jointinitiatives.org.
Calendar for REACH Committee Meetings
Joint Initiatives uses funding to prevent and provide intervention services for youth (ages 10-17) in El Paso and Teller Counties. Referrals come from Colorado Springs, Woodland Park, and Fountain municipal courts or schools. A youth’s ability to access these resources at this early stage of the juvenile justice system assists the district with addressing a youth’s substance use/abuse issues before they reach a higher level of severity. Youth referred are Gain Assessed for program qualification and services. Families receive Care Coordination throughout their engagement in the program. For more information, send inquiries to intake@jointinitiatives.org.