Joint Initiatives

Alliance for Kids Legislative Subcommittee
2023-05-09 13:00 - 13:30, 2023-04-11 13:00 - 13:30, 2023-03-14 13:00 - 13:30, 2023-02-14 13:00 - 13:30, 2023-01-10 13:00 - 13:30, 2022-12-13 13:00 - 13:30 (America/Denver) | Online
The Legislative Subcommittee of the Alliance for Kids Council meets monthly.
Meeting details/Zoom will be shared with subcommittee members via email. If you would like more information, please contact Kelly Hurtado, Foundations Program Director, at KHurtado@jointinitiatives.org.

Early Childhood Provider Appreciation Celebration
2023-05-06 09:00 - 13:00 | City Auditorium, 221 E. Kiowa Street, Colorado Springs, Colorado
Joint Initiatives for Youth + Families, in partnership with the Community Cultural Collective, will be celebrating early care and education providers (teachers, aides, directors, family child care providers, etc.) at a special appreciation event on May 6th at the City Auditorium from 9 am to 1 pm!
This event will acknowledge and thank the city’s early care and education providers and caregivers for their work and contribution to our community. The event will be a time to relax and celebrate YOU! We will have food, door prizes, giveaways, vendors, and a special appreciation presentation.
Registration will open HERE on April 17th and close on May 3rd.

LEADING EDGE™ for Child Care Providers
2023-05-06 09:00 - 12:00, 2023-04-29 09:00 - 12:00, 2023-04-22 09:00 - 12:00, 2023-04-15 09:00 - 12:00 | Online
The Pikes Peak Small Business Development Center’s LEADING EDGE™ for Child Care Providers is created to help both licensed child care providers (center-based) and start-ups. The program assists child care providers in strengthening business practices and the ever-changing landscape of the Colorado workforce.
Register HERE for this 6-week impactful course.

Ellicott Early Childhood Resource Fair
2023-04-29 09:00 - 12:00 | Ellicott Middle School, 322 S. N. Ellicott Highway, Calhan
Mark your calendars for APRIL 29th and plan to attend this special event featuring early childhood resources!

Come learn more about launching your own business as a family child care provider or other careers in early childhood education. A Career Navigator will be available to provide assistance.
Families will also be able to connect with other families and caregivers in their area as well as find resources to support children going to kindergarten in the fall.

To help us plan activities for children, please RSVP HERE.
To share this event, view the FLYER HERE.

Health + Well-Being Committee Meeting
2023-04-26 12:00 - 13:30 | Online
The Health + Well-Being Committee is a subcommittee of the Alliance for Kids Council and meets quarterly (January, April, July, and October). The committee is made up of agencies and individuals working collaboratively to guide the work of Alliance for Kids in meeting the goals and objectives of its Strategic Plan, which are aligned with the Early Childhood Colorado Framework.
Meeting details will be shared with committee members via email. If you have an interest in joining this committee, please contact Bernadine McCarron, Foundations Wellness Manager, at bmccarron@jointinitiatives.org.

Family Support + Education Committee Meeting
2023-04-20 13:00 - 14:30 | Online
The Family Support + Education Committee is a subcommittee of the Alliance for Kids Council, and serves as the oversight group for the Voices program of Joint Initiatives. Meetings are held on the 3rd Thursday of each month. The committee is made up of agencies and individuals working collaboratively to guide the work of Alliance for Kids in meeting the goals and objectives of its Strategic Plan, which are aligned with the Early Childhood Colorado Framework.
Meeting details will be shared with committee members via email. If you have an interest in joining this committee, please contact Bernadine McCarron, Foundations Health + Wellness Manager, at bmccarron@jointinitiatives.org.

Early Childhood Trauma | Part 2
2023-04-18 18:15 - 19:45 | Online
To participate, you must have taken Early Childhood Trauma Part 1 previous to taking this advanced training. This training will give more research-based facts and resources to help children and adults in their environments feel successful. It also included helpful tools to help children and adults with triggers that lead to anxiety.
Register HERE.

Early Childhood Trauma Training | Part 1 and 2
2023-04-17 18:00 - 19:30, 2023-01-23 18:00 - 19:30, 2022-11-10 18:00 - 19:30 | Online
This training is offered on multiple dates. Please register for the specific date that works for you. Cost is $25 per session.
Part 1: A basic introduction to Early Childhood Trauma, Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs), and resources to help adults and children in a classroom setting be successful. This training is a requirement to take the advanced the Early Childhood Trauma Training Part 2.
September 12, 2022 | Register HERE
January 23, 2023 | Register HERE
Part 2: Must have taken Early Childhood (EC) Trauma Training Part 1. Following our EC Trauma Training Part 1, this training will give more research-based facts and resources to help children and adults in their environments feel successful. This advanced training will go over helpful tools to help children and adults with triggers that lead to anxiety.
November 10, 2022 | Register HERE
April 17, 2023 | Register HERE

Learning + Development Committee Meeting
2023-04-04 18:30 - 20:00, 2023-02-07 18:30 - 20:00, 2022-12-06 18:30 - 20:00 | Online
The Learning + Development Committee is a subcommittee of the Alliance for Kids Council and meets every other month. The committee is made up of agencies and individuals working collaboratively to guide the work of Alliance for Kids in meeting the goals and objectives of its Strategic Plan, which are aligned with the Early Childhood Colorado Framework.
Meeting details will be shared with committee members via email. If you have an interest in joining this committee, please contact Tanise Dixon, Foundations Manager, at tdixon@jointinitiatives.org.

Compassion Fatigue
2023-03-06 11:30 - 13:00 | Online
This training includes a discussion on compassion fatigue and secondary trauma and provides resources to help.

CPR/AED + First Aid Training
2023-02-25 09:00 - 12:00 | Joint Initiatives for Youth + Families, 1600 N. Union Blvd., Colorado Springs, CO, 80909, United States
The Foundations program of JI is partnering to host a quarterly CPR/AED & First Aid Training and Medication Administration at our new office!
Cost:
CPR+AED+First Aid (9-11 am) is $69.00 paid to the vendor at the time of registration online
MA (11 am – 12 pm) is $59 paid to the vendor at time of registration online
Approved Vendor: Colorado CPR & Safety Professionals
Register HERE.
For questions for the trainer please see the instructor’s contact information below:
Bryan C. Maki, RN, CCHC
Owner – Nurse Consultant
Approved Vendor CO Office of Early Childhood
720-605-0605 | coloradocprpros.com

Workplace Culture
2023-02-06 11:30 - 13:00 | Online
This training offers healthy ways to promote a positive workplace culture implementing trauma sensitivity.

Universal Preschool Colorado Provider Training
2022-12-15 14:00 - 15:00 | Online
As the Local Coordinating Organization for Universal Pre-K in El Paso County, Joint Initiatives for Youth + Families is sharing resources and information with you from the Colorado Department of Early Childhood.
STATE UPK APPLICATION SYSTEM
Providers can participate in Universal Preschool (UPK) Colorado once they have registered and created a profile with the UPK Colorado application system available at Provider.UPK.Colorado.gov. This will help providers always be at their desired capacity, more easily communicate with families, and represent their businesses to a wider audience. Providers will need to be licensed to provide services for preschoolers and must sign a Provider Participation Agreement.
REGISTRATION WORKFLOW VIDEO + GUIDE
To help bring more clarity on the provider registration workflow from the UPK Colorado application site, here is a recorded video on the provider registration workflow experience, from submitting a registration form to filling out their provider profile. You can also download this UPK Colorado Provider Guide.
PROVIDER TRAINING | DECEMBER 15 FROM 2-3 PM
The Universal Preschool (UPK) Colorado technical team invites providers to register and become participating UPK providers! This training will cover the basics of the registration process, how to sign Provider Agreements, and best practices to build up your profile to advertise your services to families. The training will be recorded and sent out to all providers afterwards.

Universal Preschool Colorado Provider Training
Thursday, December 15, 2:00 – 3:00 pm
Video call link
Or dial: ‪(US) +1 609-459-2604 PIN: ‪902 656 438#

YOUR LCO IS HERE TO HELP
Beginning in January*, your LCO team at Joint Initiatives will be working with early childhood programs and families to provide the following:

Additional technical assistance to programs completing the state UPK registration process and help answering additional questions
Ongoing assistance to programs completing their profile on the Pikes Peak Early Childhood website
Technical assistance to families as they begin applying for UPK in January

*JI offices will be closed from December 19–January 4.

Universal Pre-K Town Hall
2022-12-14 17:00 - 19:00 | CPCD giving children a head start, 2330 Robinson St.,, COS
Joint Initiatives for Youth + Families, the Local Coordinating Organization (LCO) for Universal Pre-K (UPK), invites you to participate in a special UPK Town Hall on December 14th.
This Town Hall will be an opportunity for our early childhood community of programs, professionals, and families with young children to learn and ask questions about the Colorado Universal Pre-K (UPK) Program that will begin with the 2023-24 school year.
Topics will include:

UPK + Local Coordinating Organization Facts
Eligibility
Rate Setting
Provider Agreements

To help us prepare for the event, participants are encouraged to submit questions in advance. This option is included on the registration form.
In the event of inclement weather, this Town Hall will shift to a virtual platform using the Zoom link provided in your registration confirmation.
Light refreshments and beverages will be provided.
IMPORTANT! Please share this invitation widely. All are welcome!

Compassion Fatigue Training
2022-12-12 11:30 - 12:30 | Online

LEADING EDGE for Childcare Providers
2022-11-19 09:00 - 12:00, 2022-11-12 09:00 - 12:00
The LEADING EDGE™ Course is a trademarked, statewide program for current business owners (or startups who are moving from idea stage to implementation).
The Pikes Peak SBDC’s LEADING EDGE™ for Childcare Providers is created to help both licensed childcare providers (home-based) and start-ups. The program assists childcare providers to strengthen business practices and the ever changing landscape of the Colorado workforce.
In partnership with Joint Initiatives/Foundations and Early Connections, the SBDC is hosting this 6-week impactful course with the goal of enhancing business owner skills.
This program is funded through a collaborative between the State of Colorado’s Office of Early Childhood, the Office of Economic Development and International Trade (OEDIT) and the Colorado SBDC network. A primary objective of this project is to strengthen the childcare provider business model and enhance business owner skills so that these critically important services can continue to support our local economies.

Developing Your Family Child Care Business
2022-11-12 09:00 - 15:30 | Online
Developing Your Family Child Care Business is a training program during which participants learn how to:

Assess their marketplace
Establish the parameters of their business
Manage their costs
Price their services appropriately
Work with families to create a successful business and partnership
Network with other providers in the community
Access needed community resources

The lessons are organized in modules with the following topics:

Exploring Business Ownership
Organizing and Managing My Child Care Business
Defining My Family Child Care Services
Analyzing the Family Child Care Business Market
Promoting My Family Child Care Business
Keeping Track of Finances
Operating My Family Child Care Business
Celebrating Our Accomplishments

Training Dates: Saturdays, September 10, 17, October 1, 8, 29, November 5 and 12
REGISTER HERE.
