Rocky Mountain Early Childhood Council Hub
Council work continues to evolve and we continue to work to find ways to make navigating the constant flow of information as easy as possible. This hub is meant to be a landing page for the Council’s Google Drive that will help you find what you need quickly and easily.
* Please bookmark this page for easy access!
Council Meetings
Early childhood committees and workgroups play a vital role in shaping and supporting high-quality services for young children and their families in our region. These collaborative groups bring together professionals, stakeholders, and community members from various sectors—including education, health, and social services—to discuss, plan, and implement strategies that enhance early childhood development.
The primary goals of these groups often include improving access to early learning programs, promoting best practices, aligning policies, and ensuring coordinated support systems. By fostering communication and collaboration across organizations, early childhood workgroups and committees help create more effective, equitable, and family-centered early childhood systems.
All Council meetings are open to the public. Feel free to join at any time. If you want to learn more or to join a committee, email Stacy and she will get you additional information and/or send you the invite for that group.
Standing Committees
Unless otherwise noted, Committee work covers the 4-county Council region.
Executive Committee
The Executive Committee is the Council’s governing body made up of broad and diverse representation and is composed of 11-15 individuals who share a common interest in supporting the Early Childhood systems building work throughout the four-county region. The membership is committed to reflecting the geographic and cultural diversity within the counties involved in the Council. Members serve staggered 3-year terms.
Meeting Dates: 3rd Friday of each month from 9-11 am (unless there is a conflict)
Zoom Link (Jan 2026)
Zoom Link (Feb – Dec 2026)
Executive Committee Meeting Folder
Policy & Advocacy Committee
The Policy & Advocacy Committee meets twice a month during the legislative session (Dec-May) to discuss legislation that is working its way through the legislative process. This Committee discusses legislation that impacts the early childhood ecosystem and makes recommendations to the Executive Committee about whether The Council should support, oppose or monitor different pieces of legislation.
Meeting Dates: 2nd & 4th Tuesdays from 4-4:45 pm, January – May
4th Tuesday Zoom Link
RMECC Policy Committee Meeting Folder
Data & Evaluation Committee
The Council utilizes data from a number of sources to showcase the impact of Council work for Councils across the state. We are committed to using data to drive decision making and embed data and evaluation more intentionally into our work including annual reporting. This group provides recommendations on Strategic Plan updates and helps provide input and guidance around data collection for the Council.
Meeting Dates: TBD
Zoom Link
LCO Advisory Committee
(For Pitkin, Garfield, Lake and the Roaring Fork Valley portion of Eagle County)
The LCO Advisory Committee is made up of representation for each of the counties in our LCO region. This group’s charge is to provide information and guidance around implementation of Universal Preschool and the RMECC UPK Action Plan. They are also charged with helping identify gaps/needs within the community.
Meeting Dates: Quarterly (January, April, July & October) 2nd Wednesday from 1-2:30 pm
RMECC Workgroups
Work groups, or ad-hoc committees, are temporary groups formed to address specific issues or tasks that fall outside the scope of existing committees. They are created to focus on a particular problem, make recommendations, or complete a defined project, and will remain active as long as continued work is required.
Suspension & Expulsion Workgroup
Target Audience: Partners, stakeholders, parents, providers, policy makers
The Early Childhood Suspension & Expulsion Workgroup is dedicated to addressing and reducing the use of exclusionary discipline practices in early childhood settings. This group brings together educators, mental health professionals, policymakers, and community advocates to promote equitable, developmentally appropriate approaches to behavior and discipline.
Recognizing the long-term impact of suspensions and expulsions on young children—especially those from historically marginalized communities—the workgroup focuses on identifying root causes, sharing best practices, and developing supportive policies. Through collaboration, training, and advocacy, the group aims to ensure all children have access to inclusive, nurturing early learning environments that foster their growth and success.
Meetings: 1st Thursday of even months (Feb, Apr, June, Aug, Oct, Dec)
Workforce Recruitment & Retention Workgroup
Target Audience: Partners, stakeholders and providers
The Early Childhood Workforce Recruitment and Retention Workgroup is dedicated to strengthening and sustaining a high-quality early childhood education (ECE) workforce. Recognizing the critical role that early educators play in shaping the foundational years of a child’s development, our workgroup focuses on identifying and addressing the challenges related to workforce shortages, professional development, and long-term career support.
Through collaborative efforts, we aim to develop innovative strategies that attract, support, and retain skilled early childhood professionals. By advocating for improved compensation, professional pathways, and workplace conditions, we strive to build a stable and diverse workforce that ensures all young children have access to nurturing and enriching learning environments.
Together, we are committed to advancing policies and initiatives that recognize and value the essential contributions of early childhood educators, fostering a future where both educators and children thrive.
Meetings: TBD
Universal Preschool Program
(For Pitkin, Garfield, the RFV portion of Eagle and Lake Counties)
1-on-1 Monthly Provider Meetings –
We have shifted to 1-on-1 meetings with providers so we can touch base about individual issues or concerns as well as make sure providers are aware of upcoming deadlines and changes within the Universal Preschool Program.
Meetings: 1-on-1 monthly provider meetings
UPK Links:
- UPK Provider Folder
This folder contains Universal Preschool Program meeting agendas and helpful resources - UPK Provider Handbook
- UPK Family Handbook
- UPK Family Application Website
- UPK Provider Portal Website
- UPK Provider Metrix Website
- RMECC UPK for families
- UPK Helpdesk – For questions regarding payments or technical issues with family applications that the LCO cannot resolve. Email: [email protected]. Phone number: 303-866-5223.
- Reports & Publications – Reports and publications from external sources pertaining to Early Childhood
- UPK Rate Calculator – English/Spanish
Use this to calculate hourly rates, tuition credit amounts and remaining funding.
Important Links
Council Guiding Documents:
The Framework is a tool that reflects a shared vision for Colorado where all children are valued, healthy and thriving. It is a guiding tool that is used to build strong and equitable early childhood systems.
There are 6 Statewide Outcomes that all Councils are required to report on annually in August. The results of reporting help to measure statewide impact of Council work. There are also Local Program Priorities that Councils can choose to report on based on local initiatives.
- Early Childhood Council Legislation (HB07-1062)
- Early Childhood Council Rules – Rev 5/15/23
- School Readiness Rules– Rev 5/15/23
- SFY25-26 Colorado Shines Business Rules
- EQIT Business Rules – FY26
- 2024 RMECC Annual Report
- 2024 RMECC Needs Assessment
- 2024 RMECC Wage & Compensation Study – Coming Soon!
- RMECC Bylaws
- RMECC Mission, Vision & Values graphic
- RMECC Strategic Plan
- CDEC Strategic Plan
- 2023 Colorado B-5 Needs Assessment
Other Useful Links:
Available Funding Opportunities
This spreadsheet contains as many grant opportunities as possible in one place! We aren’t aware of every grant, so if you find one we should add, send an email to Stacy with the information.
Provider Statistics– The Council tracks information about providers quarterly regarding ratings, acceptance of CCAP, number of homes and centers per county and state goals connected to Colorado Shines implementation.
Reports & Publications– This folder contains a variety of reports and publications from different organizations that are available
RMECC Staff Bios– Link to Council Staff Bios
- Contact Us – Need help or support? Find out more about which staff member can best answer your questions.
You will find information and resources regarding the Council, for Providers & Leaders and also families. Additionally, you can access our Event Calendar and subscribe to our newsletters.
The Scoop! – Looking for a past edition of our Scoop Newsletter? You can find previous newsletters here.
- Need to sign up for one or both of our newsletters? Go to our website to sign up!
RMECC Professional Development Schedule
The RMECC PD Series offers a variety of trainings each year. We target topics brought forth by
providers, consultants, coaches, and licensing specialists. You can find information on our website about
scheduled trainings. This is updated often so please bookmark it and check in regularly!