Just think...if all child-serving agencies in Boulder County worked in concert and if public policy supported them all.

An Early Childhood System refers to the many interrelated programs, services and community fabric that work together in a coordinated fashion toward the common goal: to support the healthy growth and optimal development of all young children in the context of their families. Young children are defined as birth to five years old.

In order to design an optimal early childhood system for Boulder County, input, collaboration and partnership from many individuals, agencies and the community is required.

These include but are not limited to: parents, early care and education professionals, child care providers, health and mental health professionals, representatives from local school districts, elected and public officials, policy makers, business leaders, members of the community that are often under-represented in public processes (such as non English speaking backgrounds, seniors, persons with disabilities, the gay and lesbian community etc) and many others.

Therefore much of the work of systems building is policy and planning across agencies. Policy and planning includes the activities of: public engagement, research and development, project development, community consultation and in essence, community building.