RRRECC Blog

Food Friends

There is an exciting opportunity for childcare centers and homes! The Food Friends strive to instill healthy habits in children to prevent them from becoming overnight or obese as they get older. Food Friends and Mighty Moves work by getting 3-5 year olds to try new foods, develop gross motor skills and increase the likelihood that they'll enjoy a wider variety of foods and physical activity throughout their lifetimes. The materials and training are offered at no cost to programs! If you are interested in a training in your area, please contact Rebecca Kiegan at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .

Great Qualistar Ratings for the RRRECC

Through State Strategic Use Funds, the Council is well underway providing Qualistar ratings for 75 classrooms. Of our eight programs rated so far, we have seen GREAT rating scores!!! The Qualistar rating process evaluates five different quality components; including family partnerships, learning environment, training and education, adult to child ratio and group size, and accreditation. From these scores, each program is assigned up to four "stars" for their program. With pre-coaching and training, one program received a 4-star, six programs received a 3-star, and one program that was rated for the first time received a 2-star. We are excited to continue with the ratings and have many programs coming up in the Fall. If you are interest in knowing more about the Qualisar rating, please contact Anne at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

Happy New Year!

Greetings,

It has a been a busy new year, as the Council has been busy writing grants and wrapping up end of year procedures! The next few months of RRRECC will be held via webinar to ensure Council members less time on wintery roads! The next scheduled meeting is January 27th, and the Council will be joined by Wendy Watson from Colorado Deparment of Education to present the results of the collaboration survey that went out last fall. If you would like to join this call or the Council listserve, please contact Anne at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .

I came across a great resource through the Colorado Office of Professional Development (COPD). In their Career Path's section, early childhood professionals may click and view many different Early Childhood careers and median incomes for most. Please click here to view COPD's website!

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

Anne Fitzpatrick

Fall 2010

Happy Fall!

The Council is happy to report that we have recieved applications for 81 classrooms to participate in Qualistar ratings for the State Strategic Use Fund grant period of January 2001-March 2012. We are in the review process and could possibly send the application our for another round in the Spring. Please keep an eye on the blog for updates regarding this.

In October, the Council hosted the Colorado Children's Campaign in two of the four Counties of the Rural Resort Region. In these presentation, participants learned about Kids Count data and the effect of the economy and upcoming elections on children and families. The Campaign's website has a wealth of information on Colorado's children and families and can be found at www.coloradokids.org.

To view the newly-released "Systems Building Inventory", please click here! The Systems Building Inventory is a project developed by CDE and CDHS to identify the roles and responsibilities of Colorado's Early Childhood Councils. To request copies of this document, please contact Anne Fitzpatriick at 970-319-4914

Our next meeting will be October 28th, from 9:30am-1:00pm at the Eagle County ECO Building in Gypsum. Please RSVP to Anne Fitzpatrick at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it if you would like to attend.

Summer 2010

Happy Summer Everyone!

The Council has had a busy year and continues to be busy wrapping up this fiscal year. We have many exciting projects going on and we are looking forward to FY 2010-2011!

In May, the Council was awarded funding to pay for Qualisar ratings, coaching, and quality improvement incentives for 70 early childhood classrooms in Pitkin, Eagle, Lake and Garfield Counties! We are very excited to expand our quality improvement initiatives in the region.

Thank you to Temple Hoyne Buell Foundation for continued support around quality improvement projects in our area! We look forward to our continued relationship.

We look forward to new initiatives in the region and welcome feedback! Please contact Anne Fitzpatrick at 970-319-4914 if you have questions!

Welcome to RRRECC-WD

Thursday, August 20, 2009

Welcome to the new website for the Rural Resort Region Early Childhood Council-Western Division! We will be updated the website in the next few months, as well as with upcoming trainings, to keep the region connected to the important work that the Council is charged with!

The Council is always looking for new members! In order to build a comprehensive Early Childhood System across the region, the Council is looking for parents, early care and education professionals, health and mental health professionals, business leaders, school district personnel, and many others to join our efforts! If you are interested in attending one of our meetings, or participating on one of our committees, please contact Anne Fitzpatrick, Council Coordinator at 970-319-4914 or This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .