CPCD…giving children a headstart

Nearly 7,000 young children live in poverty in El Paso County, Colorado. Without an early childhood education, many of these children are at risk of school failure, making them less likely to graduate from high school and more likely to continue a cycle of poverty. Community Partnership for Child Development (CPCD) prepares these young children for school by offering quality, no cost early childhood education along with medical, dental, behavioral health and family support services. 

CPCD was founded in 1987 as a spin-off of Catholic Charities to manage the Head Start program. In 1990 the organization added the Colorado Preschool Program and in 1995 the Early Head Start Program. In 31 years, CPCD has grown from serving 300 children to serving nearly 2,000 children in over 60 classrooms throughout six school districts. 

Community Partnership for Child Development’s three primary programs are:

• The Colorado Preschool Program (CPP) , through which CPCD provides comprehensive early childhood education and services at no cost for 620 three to five-year-old children considered to at risk for school failure.
• Early Head Start (EHS), though which CPCD provides comprehensive early childhood education and services at no cost for 183 prenatal women and children birth to age three and their families. Eligibility is based on income (90% of the children live in poverty) and other factors such as whether a child is homeless, has special needs, or is living in foster care.
• Head Start (HS), through which CPCD provides comprehensive early childhood education and services at no cost for 962 at-risk children ages three to five and their expectation increased from 39% to 90%!

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Learn more about the programs and services CPCD…giving children a headstart offers.