Colorado State Child Abuse & Neglect Hotline Launch in Denver

Have you encouraged someone to call 844-493-TALK yet?

Colorado Crisis Services Help get the word out about this new service for Colorado families. The hardest part about getting help for a mental health, substance use, or emotional issue is knowing where to begin – especially when an issue reaches a crisis point. Colorado Crisis Services provides free, confidential, and immediate help for any mental health, substance use, or emotional concern, 24/7/365. Call 844-493-TALK (8255) to speak with a trained professional who will provide immediate support and connect you, or someone you know, to further resources. Colorado Crisis Services is also a resource for case managers and all professionals connected with the child welfare system, Division of Youth Corrections, domestic violence victim services providers, and anyone working with at-risk families.    We recently received data from the CDHS Administrative Review Division that shows "Mental Health" is one of the most common reasons why a child or youth involved with the child welfare system is in congregate care. A child or youth's mental health issues may be addressed at a lower level by better connecting families with the services available through Colorado Crisis Services. Help get kids the right care, at the right time, in the right place.    Learn more at www.ColoradoCrisisServices.org

Senior Law Day Conference Announced

Senior Law Day Conference

Living Informed-Putting the pieces together

Mesa County, Co. – Planning for retirement and beyond can seem like a puzzle that never quite fits properly for many Mesa County Seniors and their families. That is where the Senior Law Day Conference on May 1, 2014 will help put all those pieces together for local residents.

                                                 The Senior Law Day Conference

Eli Wald Keynote Speaker 

May 1, 2015

7:30-4:00pm

Two River Convention Center

159 Main Street, Grand Junction

Registration is $5.00,

 Which includes lunch, presentations, 

vendor show & materials

(Pre-registration is required by dialing 211)

The Keynote Speaker during lunch will be

Eli Wald -What to Expect When Hiring an Attorney  

This daylong event will include presentations, vendor booths, lunch, a keynote speaker and door prizes.  Presentations will be offered on a wide variety of issues ranging from reverse mortgages, wills & trusts to long- term care planning, and much more.

Pre-registration is required - TO PRE-REGISTER. Dial 211

Solutions to the Infant Child Care Shortage Mesa County

Mesa County – The critical need for child care providers in Mesa County could also offer employment opportunities for someone interested in completing the training and passing the required background checks.

According to Melissa Schierland, Self Sufficiency Supervisor with the Mesa County Department of Human Services, there are two ways to become a child care provider. Most people are aware of Licensed Childcare but there are also Qualified Providers.  Qualified Provider training and background checks take approximately 30 days.  A Qualified child care provider is exempt from licensing and may care for one non – relative family.  Becoming a Qualified Provider is a good bridge to allow someone to care for a child while they prepare to become fully licensed or it can serve as an income source for some providing care for a friend or relative. Schierland says “We are hoping to build a referral list of safe qualified child care providers as an alternative to our working parents that are on a waiting list at one of our licensed child care homes or centers.”

Each the Licensed and the Qualified Providers have benefits that someone can adjust to their own situation. We are encouraging anyone who has ever considered doing in home child care to attend the Child Care Providers Resource Fair next week and learn about the details and supports available to make the decision to do child care. Schierland says “If cost is a concern, we have scholarship money available to offset the costs of background checks.”

A Child Care Providers Resource Fair is being offered to answer questions to encourage residents to consider offering child care. The Resource Fair will be on Feb. 25 at from 3pm to 7pm at the Mesa County Workforce Center. Various Early Childhood organizations will have information available for people to find out how to become a child care provider. Scholarship money is also being offered to help defray the costs of background checks.  Each of the participating organizations will have information ranging from how to begin offering care, to licensing to education.

For more information on the Resource Fair, becoming a child care provider or to find child care call Western Colorado 211 by dialing 211.

Infant Child Care Shortage Critical In Mesa County

Mesa County is experiencing a serious infant child care shortage. Several Early Childhood organizations in Mesa County are working in collaboration to answer the critical need by developing a coalition to recruit child care providers. The organizations are responding to the growing need - especially in light of a local child care provider announcing its closing in February, if a buyer is not found before then.

In Mesa County there are 184 licensed infant slots. There are approximately 2,000 babies born each year in the county. Those numbers demonstrate the huge shortage of quality child care, specifically for infants and toddlers, in the valley says Corina Otero, Early Childhood Program Specialist, Mesa County Partnership for Children and Families. Otero added that “four years ago we had 216 licensed child care providers in the community and today there are only 173”.

According to the recently released “Child Care Affordability in Colorado” released by the Colorado Children’s Campaign, approximately 61 percent of Colorado families with young children have all available adults in the workforce.  Colorado currently has approximately 5,500 licensed child care programs with a capacity to serve only 23% of the state’s 413,949 children under age 6.  The numbers are similar in Mesa County. Many licensed child care facilities are choosing to close their infant rooms and thereby reducing capacity and thus increasing the pressure to find quality care for the very young children in Mesa County.

Current Mesa County child care provider slots showing the maximum amount of capacity:

184 slots for infants ages 6 weeks to 12 months

255 slots for toddlers ages12-24 months

1577 slots for children 24 months to 5 years

A Child Care Providers Resource Fair is being offered to answer questions to encourage residents to consider offering child care. The Resource Fair will be on Feb. 25 at from 3pm to 6pm at the Mesa County Workforce Center. Various Early Childhood organizations will have information available for people to find out how to become a child care provider. Scholarship money is also being offered to help defray the costs of background checks and licensing. Each of the participating organizations will have information ranging from how to begin offering care, from licensing to education.

For more information on the Resource Fair, becoming a child care provider or to find child care call Western Colorado 211 by dialing 211.

File Your Taxes For Free!

 Taxpayers with household incomes less than $52,000 can qualify for FREE tax help. A partnership between The Piton Foundation and the Western Colorado 211 is connecting residents to free tax preparation.  Tax Help Colorado offers free tax preparation assistance to individuals who earn less than $52,000 a year, helping to ease the burden of commercial tax preparation costs on low-wage earners. The program was launched in 2007 to help link even more Colorado families to valuable tax credits such as the Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC).

Residents can visit the Tax Help Colorado tax site to get returns prepared and e-filed for free by an IRS certified student. Or visit one of the four locations in Mesa County:

Fruita Alpine Bank Feb 2nd-April 15th Mon & Wed 9am-1pm Holiday Retirement (Mesa View) 601 Horizon Pl, Grand Junction Feb 9th-April 15th BY APPOINTMENT ONLY 970 589 3789

Wells Fargo Bank (Main St)   

1359 Main St, Grand Junction

Feb 2^nd-April 15^th

Mon, Tues and Wed 9am-3pm

Wells Fargo Bank (North Ave)

2808 North Ave, Grand Junction

Feb 3rd-April 14^th

Tues, Thurs, Sat 9:30am-12:30pm

211 Director, Christie Higgins, states “Tax assistance is available to residents from other Western Slope Counties by dialing a 211 operator and they will connect callers to free tax help within their local area.”  Higgins also reminds filers to ask about possible earned income tax credits, which may be available.

During the 2014 tax season, Tax Help Colorado provided free tax assistance to more than 10,400 individuals, helping them claim more than $20.6 million in tax refunds. In addition, the program saved families nearly $2 million in commercial tax preparation fees.

Contact: Western Colorado 211.

Workforce Center Jump Start Job Fair 2015