Early Childhood Council

In 1997, the Colorado state legislature passed legislation allowing 12 local communitites to become Consolidated Child Care Pilots with the obligation to form coalitions of key stakeholders and examine, recommend, and pilot strategies to overcome barriers to seamless delivery of early childhood services.

The local coalition adopted the name of Early Childhood Council of Larimer County (ECCLC). The coalition, a group of approximately 40 representatives of human service agencies, child care providers, school districts, county government, and other interested community members met monthly over the next six years problem solving and implementing short term projects, primarily focused on systems building and quality improvement.

In 2002, the ECCLC realized that the ability to quickly respond to funding opportunities was hampered by the need to locate and establish a fiscal agent for each potential funding source. After many discussions, the decision was made to become a non profit corporation and apply for 501(c)3 status. The members of the community coalition agreed that services to children would not be improved by shifting limited funding from one agency to another. Rather a commitment was made to strive to secure new funding to support quality improvement and systems building work.

In 2003, ECCLC was awarded 501(c)3 status and began the process of consolidating and integrating program services. In July of 2004, office space was secured and staff working in existing projects, as well as the Child Care Resource & Referral (CCR&R) program, moved to a single location.

Currently, ECCLC work is accomplished by 11 paid staff. The community coalition continues to meet monthly to provide input and guidance for the agency's work. These meetings also provide one of the primary networking opportunities for the early childhood community in Larimer County.

Click here to view a copy of our most current strategic plan.

Please see our most recent 2006-07 Annual Report for information on our latest work in the community.