Colorado Title 26.5. Early Childhood Programs and Services § 26.5-3-202. Legislative declaration

(a) Child abuse and neglect are a threat to the family unit and impose major expenses on society;

(b) There is a need to assist private and public agencies in identifying, planning, and establishing statewide programs for the prevention of child abuse and neglect; and

(c) The types of trauma experienced by children who are under eighteen years of age include childhood emotional, physical, and sexual abuse; emotional and physical neglect; housing insecurity and poverty; and household challenges, including growing up in a household with substance abuse, mental health disorders, violence, or parental incarceration. Adverse childhood experiences such as these have been shown to have a lifelong impact on health, behavior, and age of mortality.