Advocacy

The Buell Foundation identified early childhood as the focus of our grantmaking more than 25 years ago. Since that time, Buell has contributed more than $230 million to the hundreds of early childhood-serving organizations in Colorado, reaching thousands of children. We have supported programs for children in every county in Colorado. We take great pride in these efforts.

But we know that the kids of the state need more. They need us all to appreciate the importance of early childhood development and education. They need us all to understand that this is not just an issue for parents; it’s an issue for our future. In short, they need advocates.

In a sense, of course, Buell has been advocating for children with every dollar we have spent over the years. But in 2021, our Board of Trustees made the decision to take advocacy to a different level.

In Colorado, we define early childhood through four domains: early learning and development, whole-person health and well-being, family support and education, and family economic mobility. Within those domains, there are a host of issues to address. For example, early learning and development include three distinct but equally important components: availability; affordability; and quality. All of these require advocacy. The same is true for all domains in our system.

The breadth and depth of these challenges might initially seem daunting, but our work in advocacy has persuaded us that there are many allies—and even more potential allies—to help address these issues. Parents, providers, schools, churches, employers, chambers of commerce, economic development organizations, and local governments all have roles to play to support our children. Each week that passes brings more champions to the field.

Our kids deserve the best environments, the strongest relationships, and the most robust resources to help them grow to be our citizens of tomorrow. It is in their interest. It is in our interest. It is nothing less than our future.