In response, your Community Foundation catalyzed partnerships to support educational equity with dozens of nonprofits, government agencies, and business and faith leaders. 

 

The foundation’s School Readiness Initiative (SRI) developed, launched, incubated, and spun off ELPASO – Engaged Latino Parents Advancing Student Outcomes – a movement designed to build the Latino parent voice for improved early learning outcomes. Additionally, SRI helped double preschool and make free, full-day kindergarten universal in Boulder County, and secure more than $37M in annual public funding to our schools. SRI also facilitated collaborative efforts to improve educational outcomes, such as BVSD’s Success Effect, Dream Big, and The Raising of America Partnership in Boulder County.

 

Consistent with its longstanding commitment to education, your Community Foundation actively endorsed legislation to fund full-day kindergarten and ban the practice of public schools charging tuition. The Colorado General Assembly passed the bipartisan measure in 2019.

 

To date, the Community Foundation has supported eight ballot initiatives related to protecting or increasing funding for public education. We continue to fund this work through our School Readiness Initiative Endowment, working toward a day in which all children starting kindergarten have a real chance of success.