State administered programs, services and resources can be difficult to navigate. The list below contains the names of most state offices related to early childhood issues with contact information at the state agency level. However, many of Colorado's services are administered by counties. If you are unable to locate the information you need below, you might try your county government.

CO Community Colleges

The Colorado Community College System comprises the state's largest system of higher education serving more than 117,000 students annually.

CO Early Childhood Professional Credential

The professional provides an opportunity for teachers and caregivers of young children to track their professional progress from an entry level through a doctoral degree.

CO Early Childhood Development Professional Loan Repayment Program

The Colorado Legislature has established an educational loan repayment program, administered by CollegeInvest, for early childhood professionals. If you are employed at a licensed child care facility in Colorado you could earn up to $1,000 in loan repayment per year for two years.

CO Department of Education (CDE)

CDE serves the PreK - 12 public education, adult education and family literacy and the library communities of Colorado. CDE programs include:

• Colorado Early Childhood Councils
  The Early Childhood Councils have expanded to 31 councils in 56 of Colorado's 64 counties.  The EC Councils were expanded in 2007 through House Bill 07-1062 and are community-based collaboratives working to build a comprehensive early childhood system that connects children, families, and resources to quality services in education, health, mental health and family support.
• Early Childhood Initiatives
  Early Childhood Initiatives administer: curriculum, block grants, at-risk preschool programs, Even Start family literacy efforts and more.
• Exceptional/Gifted/Pre-K. Special Education
  Special education, learning disabilities, pre-K/Early Childhood programs and services, Gifted and Talented programs and services, and the Colorado School for the Deaf and the Blind.
• Exceptional Student Services
  A resource to teachers, administrators, and parents of students with exceptional educational needs due to disability, giftedness, unique talents, or English language learners who also have special needs.

CO Department of Health Care Policy and Financing (HCPF)

The state agency responsible for the administration of the Medicaid program, Child Health Plan Plus, and the Colorado Indigent Care program.

• CO Indigent Care Program (CICP)
  The Colorado Indigent Care Program is used to partially reimburse medical providers for services given to the State's non-Medicaid indigent residents.
• Medicaid
  Medicaid is a program that pays for health insurance for some Coloradoans who can not afford it. When state and federal eligibility criteria are met, Medicaid covers families with children, pregnant women, the elderly, and people with disabilities.

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