Colorado Title 26.5. Early Childhood Programs and Services § 26.5-3-101. Legislative declaration

(1) The general assembly declares that Colorado needs healthy and cohesive families at all income levels in order for the state to be economically viable. A number of families in communities throughout Colorado temporarily may not have access to the basic necessities of life or to resources or services designed to promote individual development and family growth.

(2) The general assembly further declares that many of Colorado's vulnerable families, individuals, children, and youth do not necessarily live in at-risk neighborhoods. These persons may not have appropriate resources or sufficient income for adequate housing, health care, or child care because the primary wage earners are unemployed or underemployed or work at jobs that pay minimum wage or less. Further, many of these persons not only live in poverty but also experience divorce or domestic violence or are single parents. Children and youth who are raised in vulnerable families experience an increased risk of being abused, being illiterate, being undereducated, dropping out of school, becoming teen parents, abusing drugs, and engaging in at-risk behaviors, including but not limited to criminal activities. These children and youth are often influenced by and likely to repeat behaviors that began with their parents.

(3) Therefore, the general assembly finds that it is appropriate to establish a program to provide family resource centers in communities to serve as a single point of entry for providing comprehensive, intensive, integrated, and collaborative state and community-based services to vulnerable families, individuals, children, and youth.