91124A5CFDF2E13F8725825F006D6A33 Hearing Summary

Senator Hill invited the next group of presenters to come to the table.  Suzanne Banning, President and CEO of Florence Crittendon, and Jennifer Douglas, Executive Director of New Legacy Charter School, came to the table and introduced themselves.  Ms. Douglas provided background information about New Legacy, and spoke about the school's culture and curriculum, the importance of wraparound services, and the early learning center provided for the children of the high school students served at the school.  She discussed a requirement that the students at the school take parenting classes.

Ms. Banning told the committee about Florence Crittendon, and spoke about the school's public-private partnership with Denver Public Schools.  She provided statistics about graduation rates and various types of models around the state for educating teen parents.  Anne Burriss from Aurora Public Schools spoke about the Teen Parent Collaborative of health care centers, nonprofits, child care centers, and schools.  

The panelists spoke about funding needs, Colorado Child Care Assistance Program funding, and the need for policies addressing issues that specifically affect teen parents.  The panelists answered questions about services helping teen parents to bridge the gap between graduating high school and going on to postsecondary opportunities.

The panelists continued to answer questions from the committee.