Category: Uncategorized

Giving Tuesday: Give $15 for our 15th Anniversary

Uncategorized | 12/3/2024
Post author
Stand for Children

15 years ago, Stand for Children launched in Colorado, focused on improving educational outcomes for children, particularly those most often overlooked and underserved. For the last decade and a half, we have championed efforts to improve early literacy, advance equitable school funding, develop community leaders and parent advocates, strengthen early childhood education, increase the number of students graduating on time, ready for college or career, and more.

Give Today

Now, 15 years after our work here began, we are asking you to join us in our mission to build a stronger Colorado by creating equitable opportunities for Coloradans, especially those historically furthest from privilege.

On this Giving Tuesday, we would be honored if you would help fund our future with a $15 donation.

Vote YES on the 2024 DPS Bond: Investing in Denver’s Schools and Future

Elections | 09/19/2024
Post author Vallerie Bustamante
Vallerie Bustamante Digital Organizing Manager

We believe that a strong, well-supported public education system is the foundation of a healthy, thriving community so we are proud to endorse the 2024 Denver Public Schools (DPS) Bond—an investment in the future of our children and our city.  

If you are a Denver resident, you will see the DPS Bond on your ballot and we encourage you to vote YES on the DPS Bond. Bonds are not new to Denver Public Schools. The district has had 7 bonds (including this year’s) proposed on the ballot for voters to decide on whether to pass it or not.  

What is the 2024 DPS Bond? 

The 2024 DPS Bond is a $975 million proposal aimed at addressing critical needs within Denver Public Schools. These funds are earmarked for significant improvements across the district, including the renovation and modernization of aging school buildings, providing quality learning environments, and the enhancement of safety and security measures in schools. You can read more about what the bond will fund specifically here.  

According to Denver Public Schools, the Bond will invest in the following key areas: 

  1. Modernizing School Facilities: Many DPS schools are outdated and in dire need of repair. The bond will provide the necessary funding to renovate and modernize these facilities, ensuring that students have access to safe, comfortable, and conducive learning environments. 
  1. Enhancing Safety and Security: The safety of our students is paramount. The bond includes provisions for improving security systems in schools, ensuring that all students and staff can learn and work in a secure environment. 
  1. Investing in Technology: In today’s digital age, access to modern technology is essential for student success. The bond will fund the purchase of new technology and infrastructure upgrades, helping to bridge the digital divide and ensure all students have the tools they need to succeed. 

At Stand for Children Colorado, we recognize that the quality of our schools directly impacts the success of our students. By endorsing the 2024 DPS Bond, we are advocating for a measure that will provide critical resources to schools, allowing them to better serve our children and prepare them for future success. 

More reading:  

What Can You Do? 

We urge you to learn more about the 2024 DPS Bond, talk with your friends and neighbors about it, and most importantly, vote in support of the bond this November. Together, we can make a lasting difference in the lives of our children and the future of Denver. 

Breaking Barriers: Language Justice and Mental Health in Denver Public Schools

Community Engagement | 01/29/2024
Post author Pamela Kaspar
Pamela Kaspar Parent Advocate and Stand Fellow

Pamela Kaspar is an educator and mental health provider in DPS. She is a parent and Stand Advocacy fellow. In this blog, she shares why strengthening language justice to better support families and students in DPS will positively impact the mental well-being of students and families. Our team is currently working to ensure DPS educators have are trained in how to use and have access to interpretation and translations services to build strong partnerships with families. Sign our petition calling on the DPS board to strengthen Language Justice in DPS here.  

In the diverse and vibrant Denver Public Schools (DPS) landscape, ensuring equity and promoting social justice are at the forefront of the educational agenda. One crucial aspect often overlooked is language justice, a key element in fostering an inclusive environment that supports the mental well-being of all families. Language justice is a practice to create inclusive and equitable spaces in schools so that families, students and staff can participate in the language they are most comfortable with. In my experience as a part of a team that provides social emotional and mental health supports for DPS students, I can clearly see the significance of strengthening language justice in DPS. It is critical to increase on-demand translation and interpretation services because it empowers mental health providers to better assist a broader spectrum of families.

Providing more on-demand translation and interpretation services in Denver Public Schools can be a game-changer. These services would provide mental health providers with the tools to bridge language gaps, fostering a more supportive and inclusive environment.  

Diversity in DPS: A Strength and a Challenge 

DPS prides itself on its diverse student population, representing a rich tapestry of cultures and languages. However, this diversity can pose challenges when it comes to effective communication, particularly in mental health support. Many families may face barriers due to language differences, hindering their student’s access to critical supports such as Individualize Education Plans and 504 plans, which support students with disabilities.  

The Impact of Language Barriers on Mental Health – Language barriers can significantly impact mental health outcomes. Individuals who struggle to communicate in their preferred language may find it difficult to express their emotions, hindering the therapeutic process. This issue is particularly pronounced in a school setting, where children and families may be dealing with various stressors. 

Trauma-Informed Approach to Language Justice – As a school district that is committed to a trauma-informed approach, it is crucial to recognize the potential trauma caused by language barriers. Feeling misunderstood or unable to communicate effectively can exacerbate existing traumas and create additional stress for students and their families.

Empowering Mental Health Providers – By prioritizing language justice, DPS would empower mental health providers to connect with families more deeply. When families can communicate comfortably in their preferred language, it enhances the therapeutic alliance and facilitates a more comprehensive understanding of their needs. 

Building Trust and Breaking Stigmas – Language justice initiatives in DPS not only break down linguistic barriers but also contribute to building trust within the community. When families see that their language and cultural backgrounds are respected, it helps break down stigmas associated with seeking mental health support. 

Denver Public Schools has a unique opportunity to lead the way in promoting language justice and, by extension, improving mental health outcomes for its diverse student population. Implementing on-demand translation services is a tangible and impactful step toward creating a more equitable and inclusive educational environment. By embracing language justice, DPS can ensure that every family, regardless of their linguistic background, has access to the mental health support they need to thrive. 

It’s Colorado Gives Day!

Uncategorized | 12/5/2023
Post author
Stand for Children

Today is Colorado Gives Day, and on behalf of our team at Stand for Children Colorado, we would be honored to have your support. Will you give in support of Colorado’s kids with a gift to Stand?

Donate to Support Our work

Over the last year we’ve passed policies to increase equitable funding for Colorado students and diversify the educator workforce, co-championed the effort to expand universal preschool to more Colorado children, and hosted dozens of advocates for a Day at the Capitol. We have ambitious goals for our work together next year, and hope you will help support them with a gift of $25, $50, or $100.

DPS School Board Elections Are Here-How You Can Get Ready

Elections | 10/5/2023
Post author Vallerie Bustamante
Vallerie Bustamante Digital Organizing Manager

And we meet again, Denver Public Schools Board of Education elections! 

There are about 89,000 students who attend DPS schools and each one of those students and their families deserve a representative that fights for their high-quality experience and education in Denver schools.  

I attended DPS schools my entire grade school career—from Kindergarten to my 12th grade year. As a first-generation Mexican-American multilingual student, I struggled during the critical years of literacy instruction and self-identity. Obviously, learning a new language that was not spoken at home besides the random rap songs my older brother would listen to as he lived out his short-lived breakdancing career—was a definite hardship for my reading level and performance. In addition, my teachers did not look like me, did not experience a transition like the one I was in, and my heavy accent and typical trenzas hairstyle put a direct target on my back for bullying and impatience from teachers. Now, I am telling you a bit of my life story in an elections blog because I want you to know that the people who are elected ultimately have the power to change certain policies, training, and curriculum to cure unfortunate experiences such as the one mentioned above.  

It truly is important to vote so you have a say on who will be advocating for students like me and those who experience other or bigger challenges.  

So, yes. Voting is a tool for you to use to ensure we have great leaders listening to our stories and finding ways to improve or change things for future generations to come.  

Alright, enough of the sappy part of this blog—let’s talk about the who, what, and how! 

Who is currently on the DPS school board and who’s seat is up for election on November 7th? 

Currently, there are seven board members and Director Auon’tai Anderson’s At-Large, Director Scott Baldermann’s District 1, and Director Charmaine Lindsay’s District 5 seat are up for election this November! The District 1 and District 5 maps can be found here. Everyone will be able to vote for the At-large seat because it represents all of Denver.  

What are the roles and responsibilities of the DPS Board? 

DPS Board members are responsible for: 

  • Establishing a vision for the district  
  • Hiring and/or firing the superintendent  
  • Setting the yearly budget  
  • Approving contracts for teachers and outside vendors  
  • Expanding the district or closing schools 

Who is currently running for the DPS school board seats?  

Here is a list of folks running, according to their district. 

District 1 

District 5 

At-Large 

How can I find more information on the candidates? 

You can find more information about their beliefs, values, and visions for the DPS community on their websites (linked above).  Google their names and see if there is news coverage about them. Check out their social media accounts.  

You can attend community candidate forums. Stand is co-hosting a town hall with several other organizations (TEN, Ednium, Faith Bridge, Our Turn, African Leadership Group) with the candidates for the DPS board on October 24th from 5-7 pm at Hamilton Middle School. Please register so we know you are coming. Food and interpretation will be provided. We can also help with transportation to the event.  

How do I find out if I am registered to vote for DPS School Board elections and how do I vote? 

Here is how to find out which district you’re in and if you are registered to vote. You can also use this site to check your ballot status and find your polling location. Moved Recently? You can change your voter registration address here, too! 

If your registration is current, your ballot will be mailed to you starting October 16th and you can send your ballot back by mail or return it to one of the 24-hour ballot drop-off boxes located throughout the city. To find the nearest drop-off box visit Denver’s Clerk and Recorder website. 

Ballots must be received by the Denver Elections Division by 7 p.m. on Election Day, November 7, 2023. If you choose to return your ballot by mail, send it back no later than October 31.

We hope you find this blog useful for your quest on voting in this year’s DPS School Board elections! Remember that your vote holds a lot of power that can help our future generations thrive, make sure you cast it! 

Ask House Judiciary to Support an Evidence Based Solution to Make Communities Safer!

Uncategorized | 04/4/2023
Post author Bri Buentello
Bri Buentello Government Affairs Director

The House Judiciary Committee is considering HB23-1249, Reduce Justice-involvement For Young Children, bipartisain legislation to end the prosecution of children 12 years and younger and empower alternative child-serving systems, including mental health, education, and child welfare agencies, to address the behavior, deliver treatment and family supports instead of prosecution.

Did you know that kids as young as 10 years old are subject to being arrested and prosecuted— most for child-like behavior or minor misbehavior? Children of color bear the brunt of Colorado’s reliance on prosecuting young children. 

Research shows that addressing a child’s misbehavior through the justice system harms them AND is more expensive and less effective than alternative interventions. There are other reasons that it’s problematic to address a child’s misbehavior through the juvenile justice system, too:

  • It increases their chances of incarceration as an adult by up to 41%. 
  • It decreases the chances of high school graduation by up to 39%. 
  • 1 out of every 4 incarcerated children between ages 10 to 12 are victims of violence while incarcerated.

there’s a better way…

Community-based programs outside the justice system are a safer, cheaper, and more effective way to get to the heart of family problems, trauma, or just a poorly thought-out decision by a child. 

This bill will end the prosecution of children 12 years and younger and empower alternative child-serving systems, including mental health, education, and child welfare agencies, to address the behavior, deliver treatment and family supports instead of prosecution.  

Tell policymakers you support HB23-1249 today! 

Most of the time Students Need Services, Kindness, & Respect -Not Expulsion

Legislation | 03/2/2023
Post author Lauren Kinney
Lauren Kinney School Counselor and Stand Advocacy Fellow
High School Students With Teacher In Class Using Laptops Smiling

Today the House Education Committee heard HB23-1109, School Policies And Student Conduct.  This is a bill that promotes restorative practices, ensures reduced legal system involvement, fosters fairness in a system that otherwise considers students guilty until proven innocent, and creates accountability for unregulated and untrained expulsion hearing officers. Lauren Kinney, school counselor and Stand Advocacy Fellow prepared testimony in support of HB23-1109 that was read during the hearing by government affairs director, Bri Buentello. Below are those remarks.

“My name is Lauren Kinney and I am asking you to support HB23-1109. As a high school counselor, I am forced to witness and triage the fallout of failed exclusionary discipline on practically a daily basis. The amount of time I spend responding to frustrated teachers, admin hell-bent on maintaining the status quo of zero-tolerance policies, exhausted parents, and students that are starved for connection and struggling to cope with the trauma of a pandemic.  

Students need services, kindness, respect, and to be taught the Colorado Essential Skills (Empowered Individual, Communicator, Problem Solver, and Community Member). We have local and national data warning us for decades about the unintended consequences of even a single failed class or suspension on graduation rates and the likelihood of entering the criminal justice system. 

  • We know that one suspension in ninth grade doubles the risk of failing classes and increases the risk of dropping out by 20% (Mallett, 2016). 
  • Students that fail one or more classes during their freshman year only have a 14% likelihood of graduating on time with their peers (ASCA, 2019). 

If you explore the Education Department’s Civil Rights Data Collection website, you will see that regardless of the county in Colorado, our marginalized students are disproportionately impacted by these antiquated systems.  

Our best, most obvious solution is to focus on Restorative Justice Practices focused on addressing the harm done to individual and community stakeholders while focusing heavily on the rehabilitation of the perpetrator. There is  significant evidence that RJP can improve student misbehavior, minimize exclusionary discipline, reduce discipline gaps related to race and disabilities, and have a positive impact on the students’ and teachers’ perceptions of the safety and pro-social climate of the schools.  

Because you all have the advantage of using your fully-formed adult brains, I urge you to consider the long-term unintended consequences of our children’s behaviors that their underdeveloped brains cannot.”  

We Cannot Accept an Education System that Funnels Students out of the Classroom and Into the Criminal System

Uncategorized | 03/2/2023
Post author Tina Carroll
Tina Carroll Stand Advocacy Fellow, Educator, Parent and Community Leader

Today the House Education Committee heard HB23-1109, School Policies And Student Conduct.  This is a bill that promotes restorative practices, ensures reduced legal system involvement, fosters fairness in a system that otherwise considers students guilty until proven innocent, and creates accountability for unregulated and untrained expulsion hearing officers. Tina Carroll, educator, parent, and Stand Advocacy Fellow prepared testimony in support of HB23-1109 that was read during the hearing by parent organizer, Natalie Perez. Below are those remarks.

“Hello, my name is Tina Carroll and I have a third-grade student that attends school in Jefferson County. I am an educator who also serves as a conduct and community standards officer. As a parent, educator, and servant leader in the community, I believe HB23-1109 closely aligns and has the potential to be the change we need to see in our schools and communities. The biggest component of this bill that resonates with me is the responsibility and pertinent role of the hearing officer. It is truly unimageable that we have individuals deciding our children’s future who are not trained in trauma, conflict resolution, cultural competency and familiar with milestones in children development. Although this is not an exhaustive list, it is clear that we are allowing our students to enter into an education system at a disadvantage. If we don’t make the change now to have skillful and well-versed advocates making informed decisions for our students and their families than we are accepting a system that funnels students out of the classroom and into the juvenile and criminal legal system.   

It is no secret that racial and ethnic minorities and children with disabilities are disproportionately represented in our legal system and in our classrooms. And to continue operating in a system where hearing officers are permitted to take a more punitive approach, instead of a responsive one is disheartening and a casualty in our education system.   

Members of the house, today I ask that you vote yes on this bill and take a stand for all children in the state of Colorado and mandate that we use best practices, by making sure that all hearing officers are subject matter experts, have ongoing trainings, and adequate resources for effective life changing outcomes and behavior modifications that will keep our children in the classrooms where they belong. ”

Action Alert: Contact the House Education Committee and ask them to Support HB23-1109

Legislation | 03/2/2023
Post author Bri Buentello
Bri Buentello Government Affairs Director

Hundreds of Colorado students are expelled from schools every year for low-level nonviolent conduct or based on mere allegations. This disproportionately impacts children of color and students with disabilities.

The House Education Committee will soon consider HB23-1109, School Policies And Student Conduct.  This is a bill that promotes restorative practices, ensures reduced legal system involvement, fosters fairness in a system that otherwise considers students guilty until proven innocent, and creates accountability for unregulated and untrained expulsion hearing officers. 

Email the house education committee

Expelling students exposes them to a greater likelihood of delinquency or criminal system involvement and is therefore more expensive and less effective than keeping students in school.

We need you to weigh in please! Will you email Members of the House Education Committee today and ask them to support HB23-1109? 

Your Voter Guide: State Board of Education Members

Elections | 10/27/2022
Post author Kate Dando Doran
Kate Dando Doran

Here’s your guide to voting for education champions for the State Board of Education this November in four easy steps!  

1.) Learn more about the State Board.  

2.) Decide what’s important to you in a candidate!  

  • Do you want to elect someone that has experience in education? Is it important that your candidate talks about mental health supports for students?

3.) Research the candidates! 

4. VOTE! Be sure to complete your ENTIRE ballot and vote all the way through, including the At-Large candidate for State Board of Education.

You’ve got this! Your ballot needs to be dropped off by 7pm Tuesday, November 8 but no need to wait – you can drop it in a secure ballot drop box as soon as you are done voting. 

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