Clear Creek agrees to joint selection process to reopen Early Childhood Council contract

Clear Creek County commissioners on Oct. 7 agreed in principle to join Jefferson and Gilpin counties in reopening the selection process for the regional Early Childhood Council that holds state contract funds for early learning coordination.

Why it matters: the Early Childhood Council (ECC) contract funds coordination of early learning, preschool enrollment efforts and family resources in the county. The council designation — last assigned in 1997 — determines which local nonprofit or joint entity the State will contract with to distribute and coordinate state early‑childhood funding and services.

Process and timing: commissioners asked Jefferson County staff to run a request process and serve as lead staff on the selection exercise. Jefferson County will screen applications for basic eligibility, give eligible applicants full packets to the joint selection committee, and use a scoring matrix to rank submissions. Each county will name two selection‑committee members: one commissioner and one representative from the county human‑services department. The committee will score and discuss applicants and make a single recommendation to each participating county board; if all three boards approve, the counties will submit a joint request to the Colorado Department of Education (CDE) to contract with the recommended provider. The recommended provider would become the ECC contractor with CDE starting July 1 of the contract year.

Scope and criteria: staff outlined suggested scoring categories: organizational capacity and eligibility, strategic priorities and areas of focus, collaboration and public engagement, equity and inclusion, funding strategy and accountability, and completeness/quality of application materials. The county discussed asking applicants to provide prior contract reports and performance materials so reviewers could compare outcomes for other jurisdictions and assess capacity.

Why now: speakers noted the local service environment has changed since the original 1997 designation, including a new Local Coordinating Organization structure and state grant changes. Commissioners said updating the selection process could align the ECC contract with current regional needs and simplify coordination with school districts, human‑services agencies and municipalities.

Next steps: commissioners agreed to participate and nominated Clear Creek County Manager Colton as the county's primary representative on the temporary selection committee and Jody (administrative staff) as alternate. Jefferson County staff will publish application materials, use the scoring matrix and return a recommendation to the three boards. The board asked Jefferson County to include requests for prior contractor performance reports in the application packet.

Ending note: commissioners emphasized the selection committee should aim for transparency and clear criteria so the county can compare applications and pick a partner that can manage CDE funds and scale services locally.