The Vision of the CDEC Family Voice Council is: 

We come together to share our voices, our stories, and our passions to improve the lives of Colorado families and caregivers.

The Purpose of the CDEC Family Voice Council is to:

• Elevate family voice in policy decisions. Parents and caregivers have opportunities to share their experiences, advocate for their needs, and develop skills in outreach and advocacy.
   
• Leverage the experience and expertise of parents and caregivers of children birth through age 8 to improve child and family outcomes by providing actionable and strategic feedback to the CDEC and Early Childhood Leadership Commission (ECLC).
   
• Serve as a sounding board for the CDEC and others in the early childhood system and creates change in early childhood systems.
   
• Increase family involvement and participation in the design and delivery of early childhood programs. This is key to having policies and programs that support families’ strengths and needs and results in better outcomes for children and families.
   
• Create opportunities for parent and caregiver leadership development.
   
• Create connections between parents and caregivers to share knowledge and resources.
   
• Create opportunities for members to connect to the CDEC, its partners, staff, programs, and efforts.
   
• Align with other parent committees, groups, and initiatives, and their respective work and membership.

If you or someone you know would be interested in serving on the Family Voice Council please have them complete our online form available in Online Form (English) or Online Form (Spanish) or download and share our flyer in Flyer (English) and Flyer (Spanish).  Compensation is available for members.

Created by the Colorado Department of Early Childhood (CDEC) Family Voice Council, the Little Voices, Big Impact toolkit empowers parents and caregivers to engage in public policy. If offers clear guidance, tools, and resources to build confidence in advocacy, with the goal of strengthening community voices and supporting early childhood initiatives across Colorado. View the Little Voice, Big Impact: An Early Childhood Advocacy Toolkit

For more information about the CDEC Family Voice Council, please contact Amanda Culbertson, Family Engagement Manager, at amanda.culbertson@state.co.us.