November Pathfinder 2023

A LETTER PRESIDENT & CEO, DESTA TAYE-CHANNELL

My journey at FloCrit began in 2012, and since then, I’ve witnessed remarkable growth take place because of our community’s investment in this organization. We expanded the Florence Crittenton High School and established the Alethia E. Morgan, MD School-Based Health Clinic. Our Early Childhood Education Center also saw remarkable development, doubling from five classrooms to ten, and achieving a 4-Star Colorado Shines rating. This year, we’ve renewed that 4-Star rating and completed our first Teaching Strategies GOLD checkpoint, supporting children in need of early interventions.

Our ECE program not only addresses the primary obstacle for teen parents – childcare – but also lays a strong foundation for children to enter kindergarten ready and embrace a lifelong love of learning. In this newsletter, you’ll meet Nathan, an ECE graduate, and hear how the ECE program prepared him for school.

Additionally, I’ve been part of the journey in creating a Transitions and Workforce Development Program within our Student and Family Support team, along with the development of a Housing Program. In this newsletter, you’ll meet Juliana and gain insights into the depth of her engagement with our services, including the Summer Workforce Development pilot program [page 4] generously funded by DaVita, and housing support that also benefited her friend, Annika.

Our programs comprehensively educate, prepare and empower teen families, always driven by their voices and needs. I am deeply grateful for your role in our community, supporting us as we address the challenges faced by FloCrit teen moms and their children. Together, let’s continue to champion solutions and envision a future where educated, healthy, self-sufficient teen families become leaders in our community. Thank you for the role you play in making this mission a reality!

Sincerely,

Desta Taye-Channell