Welcome to our 2023 voter guide! For those of you who are new to Better Beginnings, this is a podcast on how families and providers are navigating Colorado's evolving early childhood system. The show is also searching for an answer to this question: How do we create childcare and preschool systems that better serve all Coloradans? We think Proposition ii and Denver Question 2P can help us do just that by improving UPK and extending the Denver Preschool Program. Tune in to find out how.

We'll wrap up our show by discussing a forthcoming technology platform aiming to simplify the process of finding, enrolling in and paying for childcare and preschool in Colorado. Simple, right? The only problem is that our early childhood system is incredibly complex, and efforts to simplify it have eluded us for at least 100 years. Despair not, though. There's hope. We'll also wrap up with the Byrd family. After months of searching, have they found a childcare solution that works for them?

If our early childhood care and education system offers a bad experience for all—families and providers included—why haven't lawmakers done more to fix it? Brooke asks Colorado State Sen. Brittany Pettersen that question, and Sen. Pettersen offers a frank assessment in this mom-to-expecting mom conversation. We explore a major roadblock Sen. Pettersen believes has impeded legislative progress, and several legislative solutions that could improve our childcare and preschool system.

Childcare & preschool providers have some of the hardest, most vital jobs in the U.S. In this episode, we'll tour one provider's facility. We'll explain options families have in the early childhood space & what to look for in a provider. We'll explore an ongoing overhaul of Colorado's early childhood system, which aims to improve experiences for families & providers. And we'll examine ugly truths about our current system, including one glaring advantage it offers high-income families.

How hard is it to find childcare and preschool in Colorado? Brooke Byrd has been advised to "start searching before you even know you're pregnant." In Episode 1 of our 4-part podcast, we'll meet the Byrds, and join their search for childcare. We'll also examine how our early childhood system got so wonky, what it means for you, and House Bill 22-1295, which aims to improve this system for kids, families and providers.

Colorado's early childhood system places unnecessary burdens on families looking to access quality childcare and preschool options. But one bill is about to change everything, and it could become a model for the country. Join us for this 4-episode podcast, beginning April 25, 2022, with new episodes released every Wednesday. We'll follow one family's search for childcare, give you tips on navigating our existing early childhood system and tell you how this new bill means for you and your family.