Greetings!
Invest in Kids works tirelessly to bridge research into practice, leveraging the power of evidence-based programs to make the largest possible difference for Colorado children. Over the past two years, we have been challenged to adapt and support our partners in new ways, as we continue evolving to best support nurses, teachers, social workers, and parents. We know that IIK's programs are most successful when we invest in them holistically and support their long-term sustainability, and we are grateful to our partners who help us make this possible every day.
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Nurse-Family Partnership (NFP)®
Two years into the pandemic, NFP nurses across Colorado continue being a trusted resource for parents, sharing their expertise to provide first-time parents with the best outcomes for their babies. While the toll on our nursing work force has been substantial, we remain committed to working with nursing supervisors across the state to support first-time mothers. Invest in Kids recently sent thank you cards to NFP nurses across the state, and have conducted mail drives for recruitment and retention efforts.
Invest in Kids is also working to support our partners' increased recruitment efforts for open NFP nursing positions across the state. If you know of a registered nurse interested in a job with NFP, please have them reach out to Kimberly Hirst at khirst@iik.org to get connected and learn more about the important work of NFP nurses.
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Register for the Jane-A-Thon
Good news for all Jane-A-Thon fans! Jane-A-Thon is only a month away. You can register for your favorite ski event of the year, taking place March 4th and March 5th, and start fundraising for IIK now.
Sign up here and join us on the slopes for this unique ski adventure ⛷️ - all while supporting thousands of Colorado children and their families.
Questions? Interested in becoming a sponsor? Email Development Manager Krista Mortensen at kmortensen@iik.org.
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The Incredible Years (IY)®
In early 2020, Invest in Kids partnered with the Colorado Health Foundation and the Colorado Statewide Parent Coalition to explore whether IIK’s Incredible Years programming could meet the professional development needs of Family, Friend, and Neighbor (FFN) providers. FFNs are license-exempt caregivers, often including grandparents, aunts, neighbors, and nannies, who care for young children. This large group of providers often does not have access to the same professional development opportunities, yet serves many young children in our communities.
IIK staff held four focus groups with FFN providers to determine if the IY Preschool Basic Parent Program would be useful to them, and if there was interest in a pilot program to test the curriculum. Through this process, IIK's staff learned that there was indeed great excitement around the opportunity to participate in continued learning opportunities. As a result, Invest in Kids decided to pilot the 20-week version of the IY Preschool Basic Parent Program to Spanish-speaking FFN providers looking to renew their Child Development Associate certification.
The IIK evaluation team plans to hold two “platicas,” or “chats” with program participants to obtain their qualitative feedback on how they have integrated course topics into their daily work. At the conclusion of the current course, the IIK team will gather data from the platicas and participant surveys, and continue assessing the fit of this programming for FFN participants. “We are hopeful to offer this program to more Educadoras in the future given the huge interest and need.” said class leader, Lizzeth Nevarez.
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Child First (CF)®
The past year was full of milestones and learnings for Cohort 1 of Child First. In 2021, IIK supported the hiring, training, and reflective supervision of staff throughout the year. Staff at Cohort 1's four agencies (Aurora Mental Health Center, San Luis Valley Behavioral Health Group, Savio, and Tennyson Center for Children, who collectively serve families in 13 counties)
completed an average of 130 hours of training focused on connecting families to needed community resources and building strong, loving, parent-child relationships.
As a result, we successfully launched the Child First program in Colorado, serving almost 100 families. We are proud to have accomplished this alongside our partners! In the coming year, we will work together to continue assessing sustainable funding opportunities, and opportunities for expansion into a second cohort of the program.
Current Colorado Child First Affiliate Sites - Cohort 1
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