By Alethea Gomez In 2020, I lost over 60 pounds in 6 months in a quest to heal a long-standing injury as well as take back control of my health and well-being. I discovered one of the most effective and main ways I would be able to do this was by simply walking a certain distance each day: no fancy workouts, no complicated diets, just walking. While consistency is always a challenge no matter what we pursue, for some reason, this time I decided I would not waiver from this goal. Each day for more than 5 months consecutive, I walked 5 miles or more with increasing difficulty in speed and incline. The first day I barely scraped my way around a flat terrain lake at 1.8 miles, huffing hopelessly as I arrived back on my doorstep. Yet steadily, as I returned to my purpose, after each day, I discovered I could do more, and then more than I ever thought possible. More recently, sitting on top of my first 14,000-foot peak, I was filled with a sense of purpose and energy for life that I had not felt in a long time, and the gratitude I felt in that moment will stay with me, perhaps forever, for the moment I chose to persevere. (From the first hike to 60 pounds later at Bear Peak) But why am I telling you this story? First, I am thrilled to have recently joined the EPIC Team as the Director of Programs and Initiatives. Over more than a decade, I have worked closely in the field of early education, supporting children, families, and business in the private and public sectors. I have been a teacher, hopelessly underappreciated and wondering how I could support myself. I have been a business owner, trying to understand how to grow and support my team in all the ways they need and still have something viable. I have championed the role of Head of School and Executive Director for small schools all the way to multi-national corporations like Bright Horizons, finding myself at the helm of a system that, while proven, was quickly becoming unsustainable. I realized this in so many unique moments, whether reviewing our Profit and Loss or holding parents as they cried because they were quitting their jobs due to the inability to equalize their ambition and desires with the cost of childcare support. Perhaps most difficult of all, and more intensely than ever during the pandemic, watching my fellow educators lose faith in their profession. However, perhaps the most important role I have occupied to this point is that of being a mother and experiencing the physical reactions and unbelievable stress of wondering if I am able to provide an enriching and supportive learning and family life for my child. To watch him grow into a man and know that I did nothing to change or alter our structures that support children when he was young is beyond what I can bear. Joining the […]
https://www.epicimpact.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/12/Alethea-4.png14282000Colorado EPIC/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/epic-logo-sm.pngColorado EPIC2021-12-08 12:52:252025-06-12 14:26:17From the Desk of The Director of Programs and Initiatives: Driving Forward into 2022 and New Possibility
In Colorado alone, more than 100,000 women left the workforce during the pandemic and mothers took the brunt of job losses. Out of the mothers who didn’t leave careers, more than 17% had reduced work hours and pay. The overwhelming reason? A lack of accessible and affordable childcare in Colorado (Source: Common Sense Institute). In many cases, the pandemic only exacerbated an existing problem as it relates to childcare because quality providers and resources were scarce long before March 2020. Lack of access and quality leads to bad outcomes for children, but more importantly the broader Colorado community. More so, research shows that if action is taken to improve early education, states won’t have to spend nearly as much money later on for special education, remedial job training, correctional facilities, and other costs that are a drain on economic growth. The correlation between high-quality early childhood education and community success is exactly why PNC Bank remains so committed to investing in this space through PNC Grow Up Great®. Launched in 2004, PNC Grow Up Great is a $500 million bilingual initiative designed to help prepare children, particularly underserved children, for success in school and life. Built on the understanding that education is a powerful means for economic and social mobility, PNC Grow Up Great helps children across the country develop a lifelong passion for learning. Since arriving in Denver in 2018, PNC Bank and the PNC Foundation have already invested more than $1 million to strengthen high-quality early childhood education and provide critical resources across Colorado. This legacy of investing in high-quality early childhood education is why PNC Bank is thrilled to be a community partner of EPIC, as they work together to create a strong Colorado workforce and community. As the presenting sponsor for EPIC’s Annual Business Leaders Dinner, PNC’s regional president for Colorado, Ryan Beiser spoke at the event about the bank’s commitment to high-quality early childhood education and dedication to impact the current and future workforces here in Colorado. Ryan said, “We believe that all children deserve to start life on equal footing and the best way to do that is through early childhood education.” See the full video here. PNC Grow Up Great has inspired great futures at home, in schools, and across communities. The program has collectively distributed more than $200 million in grants to organizations that support high-quality early childhood education and has supported more than 7 million young children in the U.S. to date. These dollars have provided teachers and caregivers with the resources to inspire a lifetime of learning, promoted school readiness, and filled classrooms with school supplies across the country. Relationships with organizations such as EPIC allow PNC’s contributions to go further and provide an abundance of tools and resources that help young minds thrive. From birth to age 5, children’s brains are the most malleable, with over 90% of a child’s brain development taking place. These first five years of life are critical to support curiosity and growth while instilling a […]
https://www.epicimpact.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/10/PNC-Blog-Pic-1.png23041728Colorado EPIC/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/epic-logo-sm.pngColorado EPIC2021-10-29 12:32:112025-06-12 14:26:16PNC Supports EPIC to Advance Early Childhood Education in Colorado
Over the last months, parents and children have started returning to the office and in-person learning. For some families, it’s been a year or more since they had face-to-face interaction inside a school or an office. For many of Colorado’s children who are furthest from opportunity, it’s also been over a year of limited access to books and literacy-rich environments. Critical brain development occurs during a child’s earliest years, and it is crucial that children have access to books, reading experiences, and other literacy activities. That’s why EPIC was proud to work with the Colorado Rockies and local UPS Stores to raise awareness on the importance of early literacy while collecting books and donations that will be distributed to early literacy partners in the Colorado Community. Even as the COVID Delta variant continues to leave a great deal of uncertainty within Colorado communities, local UPS Store business owners across the state know there are children in need of books and opportunities to build their early literacy skills. During the month of September, customers visited UPS Store to drop off book or financial donations in exchange for Rockies tickets. Then, on September 26th, EPIC gathered with local UPS store volunteers, volunteer Marines and the Colorado Rockies, to culminate the book drive by collecting over $4,000 dollars to support early literacy in Colorado!! A big shout out to the volunteer Marines who donated their time for this cause and to the local UPS store owners. When children have access to books and literacy supports, they can become successful readers and grow to contribute to our communities in the future. Since 2013, Colorado Business Reads, an EPIC initiative to increase awareness on the importance of early literacy, has led a statewide initiative to work with the business community to put books in the hands of Colorado’s early readers. EPIC business leaders and their organizations, including the Colorado Rockies and The UPS Store, have been instrumental in supporting Colorado Business Reads that enable children to develop a love of reading in their most formative years. As an EPIC member, you can help provide early literacy resources to children in need while supporting local communities and employee engagement opportunities. By getting involved, volunteering, and donating books, more kids can develop crucial reading skills. Become a member and learn more about EPIC’s partnerships with Reach Out and Read Colorado and Book Trust. You can also learn more and donate to Book Trust or Reach Out and Read Colorado.
https://www.epicimpact.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/09/Marine-with-Book-scaled.jpg25601920Colorado EPIC/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/epic-logo-sm.pngColorado EPIC2021-09-30 10:11:502025-06-12 14:26:12Back to Work, Back to School and Book Drive!
For the first time ever, most working families will receive the Child Tax Credit directly deposited into their accounts starting July 15, 2021. This will substantially offset childcare costs for millions of Americans. Many important changes were made to help families receive multiple, smaller advance payments of the Child care Tax Credit this summer, and it may directly benefit employees or co-workers at your workplace. Read on to know how to help, and pass along this crucial information. As leaders in our communities, we have a responsibility and an economic incentive to ensure we share information to help families with early childhood expenses. The increased tax credit will directly help families to afford basic needs including childcare payments, and further, improve the workforce by allowing parents to participate in the paid workforce while their children have access to quality early learning experiences. Who can apply? Families will qualify for a full credit of $300 per month for children ages 0 to 5 or $250 per month for children ages 6 to 17 dependent on separate or joint income levels. To qualify, their income must be below $75,000 for single filers, $112,000 for people filing as head of household, or $150,000 for people who are married and filing jointly. The first check from the IRS will be sent out July 15, and these benefits will continue through December 2021. Families will receive the remaining $1,500 to $1,800 per child that they are eligible for when they file their 2021 taxes. Where can people learn more? The IRS has created an online calculator along with other online tools to check if individuals qualify this year. The calculator automatically determines eligibility and issue advance payments based on the information individuals provide. After the IRS determines eligibility, the advanced payments will be received automatically on the 15th of every month through December. Why is this important? When employees can afford childcare and basic needs, workplace and workforce readiness and success increase. This expansion is estimated to cut child poverty in nearly half nationwide this year and benefit almost 90% of Colorado children. What do you need to do? Do your part to share this information with human resources departments or with employees so they can access the IRS website to see if they qualify. It’s because of community leaders such as yourself that EPIC is able to provide this valuable content for Colorado employees. Do you know a community leader who would benefit from this information? Send them our way.
https://www.epicimpact.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/Blog-scaled.jpg17072560Colorado EPIC/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/epic-logo-sm.pngColorado EPIC2021-07-16 11:45:212025-06-12 14:26:00Do your Employees Qualify for the Childcare Tax Credit?
EPIC and its members began this legislative session with a mission to support our economic recovery and workforce by prioritizing families and children. The early childcare and education industry has suffered greatly since the start of the pandemic, with enrollment fluctuations and other financial stressors leading to permanent closures of several hundred childcare businesses and significant losses of desperately needed childcare slots. At the same time, labor reports and studies revealed the disproportionate impact of the pandemic on working mothers and people of color, and access to affordable and quality childcare became one more hurdle for workers to overcome while our economy lost decades of progress in workforce participation. With these significant challenges and opportunities in mind, EPIC brought the business community’s unique perspective to the table and teamed up with early childhood advocates, legislators, state staff, and lobbyists to develop and successfully pass the following bills: HB 21-1222 (Rep. A. Valdez | Rep. K. Van Winkle | Sen J. Smallwood | Sen F. Winter) Regulation of Family Childcare Homes: Aligns local governing authority regulations to reduce barriers to entry and expand opportunities to access childcare in family childcare homes. The bill requires that family childcare homes be classified as residences for purposes of licensure and local regulations, including zoning, land use development, fire and life safety, and building codes. Passed with unanimous votes in both chambers! HB21-1274 (Rep. B. Titone | Rep. R. Zenzinger | Sen. D. Hisey) Unused State-owned Real Property Beneficial Use: Directs the Department of Personnel to inventory unused State-owned property and use such property to promote affordable housing, childcare, public schools, residential mental and behavioral health care, and renewable energy development. SB21-236 (Sen. T. Story | Sen J. Sonnenberg | Rep. K. Tipper | Rep. T. Van Beber) Increase Capacity Early Childhood Care & Education: Creates 4 new grant programs to increase capacity for early childhood care and education, improve recruitment and retention rates for early childhood educators (educators), and improve salaries for educators. The bill includes an $8.8 million employer-based childcare facilities grant program, which EPIC will be sharing more information on within the next several months. Passed with unanimous votes in the Senate and strong bipartisan support in the House! HB21-1304 (Rep. E. Sirota | Rep. A. Garnett | Sen. S. Fenberg | Sen. J. Buckner) Early Childhood System: Creates a new Department of Early Childhood in Colorado in order to unify and streamline early childhood programs, services, and requirements for the benefit of families and childcare business owners/operators. Also sets a transition process in motion that will begin the implementation of universal preschool and ensures parents have access to a “mixed delivery” system of school-based and community-based preschool programs that meet their needs. Business community representatives are invited to serve on the transition advisory team and can indicate their interest by completing this form. Passed with unanimous votes in the Senate and bipartisan support in the House! Many thanks to the Colorado Legislators and our members and supporters for believing in the […]
https://www.epicimpact.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/shutterstock_152978891-1.jpg408612Colorado EPIC/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/epic-logo-sm.pngColorado EPIC2021-06-21 13:04:552025-06-12 14:25:58EPIC Applauds the Passage of Legislation to Help Early Childhood Education
From the Desk of The Director of Programs and Initiatives: Driving Forward into 2022 and New Possibility
/in BlogBy Alethea Gomez In 2020, I lost over 60 pounds in 6 months in a quest to heal a long-standing injury as well as take back control of my health and well-being. I discovered one of the most effective and main ways I would be able to do this was by simply walking a certain distance each day: no fancy workouts, no complicated diets, just walking. While consistency is always a challenge no matter what we pursue, for some reason, this time I decided I would not waiver from this goal. Each day for more than 5 months consecutive, I walked 5 miles or more with increasing difficulty in speed and incline. The first day I barely scraped my way around a flat terrain lake at 1.8 miles, huffing hopelessly as I arrived back on my doorstep. Yet steadily, as I returned to my purpose, after each day, I discovered I could do more, and then more than I ever thought possible. More recently, sitting on top of my first 14,000-foot peak, I was filled with a sense of purpose and energy for life that I had not felt in a long time, and the gratitude I felt in that moment will stay with me, perhaps forever, for the moment I chose to persevere. (From the first hike to 60 pounds later at Bear Peak) But why am I telling you this story? First, I am thrilled to have recently joined the EPIC Team as the Director of Programs and Initiatives. Over more than a decade, I have worked closely in the field of early education, supporting children, families, and business in the private and public sectors. I have been a teacher, hopelessly underappreciated and wondering how I could support myself. I have been a business owner, trying to understand how to grow and support my team in all the ways they need and still have something viable. I have championed the role of Head of School and Executive Director for small schools all the way to multi-national corporations like Bright Horizons, finding myself at the helm of a system that, while proven, was quickly becoming unsustainable. I realized this in so many unique moments, whether reviewing our Profit and Loss or holding parents as they cried because they were quitting their jobs due to the inability to equalize their ambition and desires with the cost of childcare support. Perhaps most difficult of all, and more intensely than ever during the pandemic, watching my fellow educators lose faith in their profession. However, perhaps the most important role I have occupied to this point is that of being a mother and experiencing the physical reactions and unbelievable stress of wondering if I am able to provide an enriching and supportive learning and family life for my child. To watch him grow into a man and know that I did nothing to change or alter our structures that support children when he was young is beyond what I can bear. Joining the […]
PNC Supports EPIC to Advance Early Childhood Education in Colorado
/in BlogIn Colorado alone, more than 100,000 women left the workforce during the pandemic and mothers took the brunt of job losses. Out of the mothers who didn’t leave careers, more than 17% had reduced work hours and pay. The overwhelming reason? A lack of accessible and affordable childcare in Colorado (Source: Common Sense Institute). In many cases, the pandemic only exacerbated an existing problem as it relates to childcare because quality providers and resources were scarce long before March 2020. Lack of access and quality leads to bad outcomes for children, but more importantly the broader Colorado community. More so, research shows that if action is taken to improve early education, states won’t have to spend nearly as much money later on for special education, remedial job training, correctional facilities, and other costs that are a drain on economic growth. The correlation between high-quality early childhood education and community success is exactly why PNC Bank remains so committed to investing in this space through PNC Grow Up Great®. Launched in 2004, PNC Grow Up Great is a $500 million bilingual initiative designed to help prepare children, particularly underserved children, for success in school and life. Built on the understanding that education is a powerful means for economic and social mobility, PNC Grow Up Great helps children across the country develop a lifelong passion for learning. Since arriving in Denver in 2018, PNC Bank and the PNC Foundation have already invested more than $1 million to strengthen high-quality early childhood education and provide critical resources across Colorado. This legacy of investing in high-quality early childhood education is why PNC Bank is thrilled to be a community partner of EPIC, as they work together to create a strong Colorado workforce and community. As the presenting sponsor for EPIC’s Annual Business Leaders Dinner, PNC’s regional president for Colorado, Ryan Beiser spoke at the event about the bank’s commitment to high-quality early childhood education and dedication to impact the current and future workforces here in Colorado. Ryan said, “We believe that all children deserve to start life on equal footing and the best way to do that is through early childhood education.” See the full video here. PNC Grow Up Great has inspired great futures at home, in schools, and across communities. The program has collectively distributed more than $200 million in grants to organizations that support high-quality early childhood education and has supported more than 7 million young children in the U.S. to date. These dollars have provided teachers and caregivers with the resources to inspire a lifetime of learning, promoted school readiness, and filled classrooms with school supplies across the country. Relationships with organizations such as EPIC allow PNC’s contributions to go further and provide an abundance of tools and resources that help young minds thrive. From birth to age 5, children’s brains are the most malleable, with over 90% of a child’s brain development taking place. These first five years of life are critical to support curiosity and growth while instilling a […]
Back to Work, Back to School and Book Drive!
/in BlogOver the last months, parents and children have started returning to the office and in-person learning. For some families, it’s been a year or more since they had face-to-face interaction inside a school or an office. For many of Colorado’s children who are furthest from opportunity, it’s also been over a year of limited access to books and literacy-rich environments. Critical brain development occurs during a child’s earliest years, and it is crucial that children have access to books, reading experiences, and other literacy activities. That’s why EPIC was proud to work with the Colorado Rockies and local UPS Stores to raise awareness on the importance of early literacy while collecting books and donations that will be distributed to early literacy partners in the Colorado Community. Even as the COVID Delta variant continues to leave a great deal of uncertainty within Colorado communities, local UPS Store business owners across the state know there are children in need of books and opportunities to build their early literacy skills. During the month of September, customers visited UPS Store to drop off book or financial donations in exchange for Rockies tickets. Then, on September 26th, EPIC gathered with local UPS store volunteers, volunteer Marines and the Colorado Rockies, to culminate the book drive by collecting over $4,000 dollars to support early literacy in Colorado!! A big shout out to the volunteer Marines who donated their time for this cause and to the local UPS store owners. When children have access to books and literacy supports, they can become successful readers and grow to contribute to our communities in the future. Since 2013, Colorado Business Reads, an EPIC initiative to increase awareness on the importance of early literacy, has led a statewide initiative to work with the business community to put books in the hands of Colorado’s early readers. EPIC business leaders and their organizations, including the Colorado Rockies and The UPS Store, have been instrumental in supporting Colorado Business Reads that enable children to develop a love of reading in their most formative years. As an EPIC member, you can help provide early literacy resources to children in need while supporting local communities and employee engagement opportunities. By getting involved, volunteering, and donating books, more kids can develop crucial reading skills. Become a member and learn more about EPIC’s partnerships with Reach Out and Read Colorado and Book Trust. You can also learn more and donate to Book Trust or Reach Out and Read Colorado.
Do your Employees Qualify for the Childcare Tax Credit?
/in BlogFor the first time ever, most working families will receive the Child Tax Credit directly deposited into their accounts starting July 15, 2021. This will substantially offset childcare costs for millions of Americans. Many important changes were made to help families receive multiple, smaller advance payments of the Child care Tax Credit this summer, and it may directly benefit employees or co-workers at your workplace. Read on to know how to help, and pass along this crucial information. As leaders in our communities, we have a responsibility and an economic incentive to ensure we share information to help families with early childhood expenses. The increased tax credit will directly help families to afford basic needs including childcare payments, and further, improve the workforce by allowing parents to participate in the paid workforce while their children have access to quality early learning experiences. Who can apply? Families will qualify for a full credit of $300 per month for children ages 0 to 5 or $250 per month for children ages 6 to 17 dependent on separate or joint income levels. To qualify, their income must be below $75,000 for single filers, $112,000 for people filing as head of household, or $150,000 for people who are married and filing jointly. The first check from the IRS will be sent out July 15, and these benefits will continue through December 2021. Families will receive the remaining $1,500 to $1,800 per child that they are eligible for when they file their 2021 taxes. Where can people learn more? The IRS has created an online calculator along with other online tools to check if individuals qualify this year. The calculator automatically determines eligibility and issue advance payments based on the information individuals provide. After the IRS determines eligibility, the advanced payments will be received automatically on the 15th of every month through December. Why is this important? When employees can afford childcare and basic needs, workplace and workforce readiness and success increase. This expansion is estimated to cut child poverty in nearly half nationwide this year and benefit almost 90% of Colorado children. What do you need to do? Do your part to share this information with human resources departments or with employees so they can access the IRS website to see if they qualify. It’s because of community leaders such as yourself that EPIC is able to provide this valuable content for Colorado employees. Do you know a community leader who would benefit from this information? Send them our way.
EPIC Applauds the Passage of Legislation to Help Early Childhood Education
/in BlogEPIC and its members began this legislative session with a mission to support our economic recovery and workforce by prioritizing families and children. The early childcare and education industry has suffered greatly since the start of the pandemic, with enrollment fluctuations and other financial stressors leading to permanent closures of several hundred childcare businesses and significant losses of desperately needed childcare slots. At the same time, labor reports and studies revealed the disproportionate impact of the pandemic on working mothers and people of color, and access to affordable and quality childcare became one more hurdle for workers to overcome while our economy lost decades of progress in workforce participation. With these significant challenges and opportunities in mind, EPIC brought the business community’s unique perspective to the table and teamed up with early childhood advocates, legislators, state staff, and lobbyists to develop and successfully pass the following bills: HB 21-1222 (Rep. A. Valdez | Rep. K. Van Winkle | Sen J. Smallwood | Sen F. Winter) Regulation of Family Childcare Homes: Aligns local governing authority regulations to reduce barriers to entry and expand opportunities to access childcare in family childcare homes. The bill requires that family childcare homes be classified as residences for purposes of licensure and local regulations, including zoning, land use development, fire and life safety, and building codes. Passed with unanimous votes in both chambers! HB21-1274 (Rep. B. Titone | Rep. R. Zenzinger | Sen. D. Hisey) Unused State-owned Real Property Beneficial Use: Directs the Department of Personnel to inventory unused State-owned property and use such property to promote affordable housing, childcare, public schools, residential mental and behavioral health care, and renewable energy development. SB21-236 (Sen. T. Story | Sen J. Sonnenberg | Rep. K. Tipper | Rep. T. Van Beber) Increase Capacity Early Childhood Care & Education: Creates 4 new grant programs to increase capacity for early childhood care and education, improve recruitment and retention rates for early childhood educators (educators), and improve salaries for educators. The bill includes an $8.8 million employer-based childcare facilities grant program, which EPIC will be sharing more information on within the next several months. Passed with unanimous votes in the Senate and strong bipartisan support in the House! HB21-1304 (Rep. E. Sirota | Rep. A. Garnett | Sen. S. Fenberg | Sen. J. Buckner) Early Childhood System: Creates a new Department of Early Childhood in Colorado in order to unify and streamline early childhood programs, services, and requirements for the benefit of families and childcare business owners/operators. Also sets a transition process in motion that will begin the implementation of universal preschool and ensures parents have access to a “mixed delivery” system of school-based and community-based preschool programs that meet their needs. Business community representatives are invited to serve on the transition advisory team and can indicate their interest by completing this form. Passed with unanimous votes in the Senate and bipartisan support in the House! Many thanks to the Colorado Legislators and our members and supporters for believing in the […]