In 2009, Mile High United Way and the Merage Foundation approached Colorado Concern to discuss how to best engage business leaders in the advancement of the early childhood system in Colorado. This would require education about the issues and willingness on the part of businesses to advocate for and invest in the system. In October of that year, over 125 business leaders from around the state came together to begin the conversation about the need to invest in early childhood issues. Within two months, commitments from several groups had been made, and an application had been submitted to the Pew Charitable Trust for start-up funding, which resulted in a $60,000 commitment.
Executives Partnering to Invest in Children (EPIC) was officially launched in January, 2010. Six convening organizations led the development of the organization’s vision and infrastructure. EPIC consists of two leadership groups, the Managing Board and the CEO Roundtable. Click on the links below to learn more: Executives Partnering to Invest in Children (EPIC) is a coalition of business leaders, nonprofits and foundations who are committed to making early childhood care, education, health, and parenting among the highest priorities of Colorado’s public and private investments. Focusing on children between the ages of zero to eight, EPIC targets the youngest population in order to see the greatest impact. For every $1 invested in the education of a child, the return on investment will be approximately 10% per year. Those returns are a result of: Less need for remedial and special education classes Less need for police and judicial system activity Lower costs for prison Reduced public spending on health care Savings due to fewer people in need of social services supports Increased tax revenues from productively employed citizens
Today’s employers are calling for practical, cost-effective changes to public policy because they recognize that failing to invest in our most critical resources hurts our economy. Business leaders need: The best, most skilled employees now and in the future, employees who can create new products, solve complex problems and motivate teams to excel Employees who can focus on their job and not be distratcted because their children are in poor quality care Communities that attract skilled employees, produce good consumers, and spend less tax money on expensive remedial programs Public policies that suppor the development of the next generation of workers so that they can continue to innovate and lead
Investing in the well-being of our youngest citizens today will ensure well-adjusted, confident, and capable workers in the future. It makes good business sense, invest wisely on the front-end to generate a good product on the back-end.
Convening Organizations
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