Local mill levies

The mill levy sets the rate that is charged for property taxes. Communities that want to raise property taxes to collect more money must ask voters for approval first. The money generated from this tax stays in the community and could go directly to a specified purpose.

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In 2017 the San Miguel County Board of Commissioners approved the language for the Early Childhood Initiative, which voters then passed in the fall of 2017. Ballot Issue 1A, increased property taxes by .75 of a mill, or an estimated $5.40 for every $100,000 of assessed residential property value.

Ballot measure related to other taxes (sales, marijuana)

A ballot measure puts a proposal in front of voters to empower citizens to approve or reject the proposal.

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In 2017, Eagle County passed a ballot issue to tax recreational marijuana sales in the county. This could generate up to $1.2 million annually that will be specifically dedicated to mental health and substance use programs.

Philanthropic funders want to fund high-impact initiatives in communities of interest to them; early childhood mental health research and evidence can be valuable to inform their decision-making.

Foundation funding could include private, community, or corporate foundations.

The Funders Learning Network on Early Childhood Mental Health is a diverse group of Colorado grantmaking organizations that fund many areas and have a shared interest in children’s mental health.

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A collaborative group of Colorado funders spanning health and early childhood disciplines convened in 2013 to form the Funders Learning Network on Early Childhood Mental Health. In 2015, the network’s collaborative partners pooled $11 million to create a five-year initiative called LAUNCH Together, modeled after the federal Project LAUNCH initiative, from which Colorado receives funding.

The Buell Foundation’s $75,000 early childhood mental health consultation grant to Alliance for Kids serving Park, Teller, and rural El Paso Counties supports rural early learning providers through on-site mental health consultation.

The Advancing Colorado’s Mental Health Care project, which ended in 2011, was a joint effort that provided support to human services agencies, mental health care providers, and others to improve the integration and coordination of mental health services.

Health First Colorado (Colorado’s Medicaid program) and private health insurance plans should cover health care visits including those for mental health for children and primary caregivers. Services include:

• Wellness and disease management
• Prescription drugs
• Hospitalization
• Laboratory services
• Emergency services
• Maternity and maternal care into the first year of delivery
• Children’s care, dental and vision
• Rehabilitation and habilitation
• Mental, behavioral health, and substance use care
• Outpatient clinic services

The Early and Periodic Screening, Diagnostic, and Treatment (EPSDT) benefit is the comprehensive health care coverage for children under the age of 21 enrolled in Medicaid.

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At Mountainland Pediatrics, maternal screening done in the pediatric practice is billed under the child’s Medicaid or the mother’s Medicaid under a Z code if the child doesn’t yet have Medicaid.

It is possible to pair a diagnosis in the DC:0-5^TM with a parallel diagnosis in a diagnostic manual that is billable. This strategy is called “crosswalking.” ZERO TO THREE has created a sample crosswalk from the DC:0-5 to the DSM-5 and the ICD-10.

Current organizational budgets could undergo a strategic review to identify early childhood mental health investments that might result in cost savings in another program spending area.

School and early learning funding at the individual school or program level is usually a coveted resource but can be used for things such as teacher trainings, wellness programs, school-based mental health supports, and special programs. While many young children are in private early learning programs, many public schools provide preschool services through the Colorado Preschool Program and Preschool Special Education.

Use this link to better understand how early childhood educational funding flows into programs.

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Bal Swan Children’s Center in Broomfield committed to funding training for
their staff and providing ongoing supports to implement the Pyramid Plus Model of social emotional competence and inclusion program-wide. They knew that funding was crucial, so chose to use all their training budget for four years to implement this model with fidelity. Bal Swan has received funds from grantors in part due to their success with the Pyramid Model. Their Board of Directors and community supporters added their financial backing to sustaining the Pyramid Model at Bal Swan.

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In the 2017 school year, Jefferson County School district was able to dedicate $750,000 to a partnership with Jefferson Center for Mental Health (JCMH). JCMH helps cover some of the cost of the counselors that the school district uses, particularly for schools with a larger population of free and reduced-lunch-qualified families.

The nine positions added were social emotional learning specialists, which differ from traditional school counselors. Thirty-three elementary schools (many of which include preschool) who have JCMH prevention specialists on campus at least one day a week are working toward equipping students with the social emotional skills to thrive.

County health departments can support community-wide health initiatives, health education, health awareness campaigns, and improvements in community referral systems.

County departments of human services manage child care assistance programs, child welfare, public benefits, and prevention services.

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Northeast Colorado Health Department coordinated an initiative to train and support providers on screenings and treatment for pregnancy-related depression, and raise public awareness of the associated symptoms, risk factors, and stigma.

The Community Infant Program in Boulder County works with high-risk families to promote healthy attachments between parents and infants. Nurses and mental health therapists provide services in the home for parents who have trouble adjusting to a new infant or young child. Financial support and assistance for this initiative is a partnership with the community mental health center, public health, and the county department of human services.

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The Tony Grampsas Youth Services (TGYS) Program provides funding to local organizations for prevention, intervention, and education programs for children, youth, and their families designed to prevent youth crime and violence, youth marijuana use, and child abuse and neglect. From 2017 to 2020, TGYS is funding Healthy Steps in Adams, Arapahoe, and Denver counties. Healthy Steps is an evidence-based early childhood behavioral health integration model that provides enhanced primary care experiences to children from birth to 3 years old and their families.

The Office of Learning Supports at the Colorado Department of Education began a year-long training series for district-level coaches and their accompanying school-based leadership teams. Using a new training model, the goal is to scale up and rejuvenate Colorado positive behavioral interventions and supports (PBIS).

The Colorado Department of Human Services, Office of Behavioral Health’s managed services organization contracts provide funding that supports caregivers with substance use disorders to access family-oriented treatment including access to parenting skills and supports that promote parent-infant bonding.

Aurora Mental Health Center’s Early Childhood and Family Center provides comprehensive mental health treatment for infants and children up to age 6. Many of these children have been victimized, traumatized, abused, abandoned, or have experienced emotional or behavioral difficulties, which interfere with learning and developing relationships. Individual, family, and group therapies are integrated to best serve the needs of each child and family, and the team offers parenting classes and support groups.

Five substance use treatment programs—Addiction Research and Treatment Services, Centennial Mental Health Center, Crossroads Turning Point, Mile High Behavioral Healthcare, and North Range Behavioral Health—trauma-informed treatment and support services specifically designed for women who are parenting and their children. Services include assistance with transportation, child care, mother-child bonding activities, and health education. Services are funded through the Office of Behavioral Health and Health First Colorado.

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The Colorado Early Childhood Mental Health Specialist program was approved by the Colorado General Assembly and is funded through state general funds and federal funds, with a total of almost $3 million dedicated to the specialists in 2017. This program is a free resource that helps adults support children’s social emotional development and identify concerns early in a child’s life that could lead to greater challenges.