Category: Blog

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 […]

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.

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 […]

Re-cap of Nicole Riehl, President and CEO of Executives Partnering to Invest in Children (EPIC), joined Kristen Blessman, President and CEO of the Colorado Women’s Chamber of Commerce, and Kristin Strohm, President and CEO of Common Sense Institute, as they discuss the impacts of the ‘She-Cession’ in Colorado and how to get working moms back to work. Saja Hindi, reporter for the Denver Post, was the emcee and moderated the panel.

The March blog is an impact report authored by the Common Sense Institute and EPIC’s President and CEO, Nicole Riehl. Acknowledging the contributions of women in business and our economy has brought us to our work in highlighting the detrimental impacts of the pandemic on women in the workforce which were detailed in a recent report released by the Common Sense Institute and co-authored by EPIC. The pandemic has impacted working women, disproportionally women of color and mothers of young children, more than any other workforce group and we must recognize that women continue to face significant challenges and are key to the economic recovery. Supporting access to quality, affordable early childcare and education is just one way we can ensure all women are able to pursue careers and paid workforce opportunities.  Click here to download and read this report.