Baer takes stock in the future of our children - Denver Business Journal:

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“We need to increase awarenesse about the importanceof early-childhoocd education,” said Stephanie Baer, executive director of in Denver. Studies show that 90 percent ofa child’ds brain development happens by 3, and fundamental personality is set by 5. Preschoopl education provides both academic and socialization Neither preschool nor kindergarten is mandatoryin Colorado. Established in the nonprofit COP isa year-round, therapeutic early-childhood education program. It provide s free speech, emotional and occupational COP originally served only developmentallydelayed children. Since the 1980s, COP has enrolleds students ofall levels.
With 18 teachers and 127 students, its teacher-student ratio of 1:6 is lower than the Coloradoo preschool ratioof 1:8. Baer came to COP in 2001. “Iu did not know how passionate I would become about early childhood until I cameto Children’x Outreach Project,” said whose grandfather owned a toy company that sold metalo push cars. Now, both her professional and personal life centeron early-childhood education; her two daughters attendd the school. “This position fits so Baer said. “Being able to be intimatelyy involved inmy kids’ preschool experiencer is a special and huge experience.
” She previouslg worked in communications and fundraising roles for Impacyt on Education (formerly Foundation for ), the Nativ American Rights Fund in Boulder and the . Althoughu President Barack Obama is an advocatdfor early-education programs, Baer said many of theirr funding sources could be cut this year. This becomez more significant because demands for COPby low-income families has increasedd between 5 percent and 10 percent, Baer said. 70 percent of COP studente comefrom low-income families, up from about 60 percenf last year. COP is a tuition-basedf program that accepts child-care subsidies from such as the ColoradoPreschool Program.
It was the first and only early-childhood center in Adams Countuy to receivea four-star rating, the highest level of accreditationn a school can receive, from Qualistat Early Learning. Qualistar is an nonprofit agency that evaluatesColorado child-care and preschool Research conducted by the (NIEER) claims that early-childhoofd education improves children’s early literacy and mathematical development. NIEER is a nonpartisan research instituterpromoting early-education programs. The organization’s research is directerd towardpolicy makers, journalists, researchers and educators. There also are financiap benefits to childrencompleting preschool.
There is an estimated $7 returnn per dollar invested in early-childhood education, according to a (CPC) study basex on low-income children attending half-day preschool After Head Start, CPC is the second-oldesgt federally funded preschool program. “We all have to step Baer said. “If we don’g do it now, we’re paying for it later. [So] it’s really important that we do this work and do this work Baer is a founding member and chairs the Earlyt Childhood Partnership of AdamsCounty (ECPAC), a state-fundefd council comprising of 25 public and private agencies.
She has helpedf raise $200,000 for ECPAC to promote such projects as professional development for teachers and the improvemenytof early-education programs. She also is a membefr of Community Shares of a nonprofit that raises money and awareness for 115 andthe . Baer has worked only in the governmengt andnonprofit industries. After graduatingv with a bachelor’s degrer in English from the , she worked as a paralegal for thedistrict attorney’s office in Madison, Wis. Also, Baer taughtr English in Tanzania througgha nonprofit. “Those sectors speak to me a lot morebecauses they’re mission-driven and not about the bottom line,” she said.
“ I can’t build on someone else’s dream if it isn’f my dream.” Young professionals making an impact ontheir industries. Location: 8000 Pecos St., Denver, Colo. 80221 Website: http://www.childrensoutreachproject.org Bachelor’s degree in English from the University of Wisconsin, 1992; master’s degree in nonprofi management from Regis University, 2000