Family Experience in Action

Here are a few highlights about how family experiences are driving our work forward.  

At ABCD, we believe family voice is essential to shaping effective and equitable early childhood systems. This spring, our team has been working alongside families to embed their experiences across multiple initiatives. Here are a few highlights about how family experiences are driving our work forward.  

Infusing Family Experience into HealthySteps

HealthySteps Colorado is deepening its commitment  to family-centered care by elevating family voice in program development and improvement. In partnership with the HealthySteps Advisory Council, we identified family experience as a strategic priority, leading to the formation of a dedicated Family Experience Subcommittee to guide this work. 

Colorado HealthySteps Advisory Council August 2024

Recognizing the need for a sustainable and reliable feedback system, the subcommittee is developing a family experience survey designed to gather meaningful input directly from families participating in HealthySteps. This survey aims to elevate family perspectives, inform program improvements, and identify professional learning opportunities for HealthySteps Specialists. By engaging families as partners in this process, we seek to strengthen trust, ensure services align with family needs and priorities, and support better outcomes across the communities we serve. The survey will be piloted this summer at select sites to refine the approach before its statewide rollout.

Family Voices Driving Change: Highlights from Recent Family Experience Forums

In March and April, ABCD hosted Family Experience Forums to hear directly from families navigating Colorado’s early childhood system, from noticing early concerns to screening, referrals, and accessing services. 

Families and professionals shared powerful stories that revealed shared values: the importance of trusting relationships, clear and compassionate communication, and a system that meets families where they are. Families emphasized the emotional toll of feeling dismissed or confused, especially during the screening and referral process. Professionals, in turn, spoke to  how time limits, system constraints, and lack of resources often challenge their ability to offer responsive care. Themes of cultural mismatch, inconsistent follow-up, and unclear communication emerged repeatedly. 

In response, ABCD is developing a set of family-informed recommendations focused on improving communication, fostering cultural responsiveness, and strengthening connections between programs and providers. These early insights are helping guide the development of new tools, training strategies, and system improvements, all with the goal of creating more equitable, family-centered experiences across Colorado.

Visual Storytelling in Alamosa 

In partnership with the Colorado Department of Public Health & Environment (CDPHE), ABCD is collaborating with families in Alamosa to use visual notes to capture families’ stories about who in their lives keeps their children and families healthy. These stories are helping to identify gaps in local systems and will inform strategies to better understand family needs and priorities. The goals of this work include:  

• Improved coordination of services

• Increased knowledge of existing services among families and providers

• Enhanced access to service and supports families want or need

• Remove systemic barriers for families

• Support early childhood providers in anticipating family needs

• Empower families to advocate for themselves and their children