Stand's Advocacy Fellowship empowers parents, educators, and community members to be advocates for change in their schools and communities. Your gift will support a 2022 Fellow to leverage their personal power to make change on behalf of Colorado's kids by providing laptops, training, and more!
To ensure all students receive a high quality, relevant education, especially those whose boundless potential is overlooked and under-tapped because of their skin color, zip code, first language, or disability. We advocate for educational equity and racial justice in Colorado by prioritizing early literacy, high school success and safe & supportive schools and communities.
Since launching in 2009, Stand for Children Colorado has been a leader in shaping and advancing key policy efforts impacting Colorado's students, educators, and families. We empower parents, educators, and community members to advocate for policy solutions to improve early literacy and high-school graduation rates as well to enhance safe and supportive schools and communities. We have had tremendous impact in all three areas including the passage of universal kindergarten and pre-k, $60M in literacy support and intervention funding to Colorado schools, 7,000 teachers trained in the science of reading, 4,000 ninth grade students served through the Center for High School Success, $1.1M in juvenile fees saved for Colorado families, and more.
In 2020, Stand launched it's Advocacy Fellowship. Five parents, educators and community members served as front line advocates for educational equity in Colorado schools, communities, and state policy. Fellows wrote op-eds, gave testimony at the Capitol, spread awareness in their communities, and hosted events for other parents.
Stand Colorado is one of ten state affiliates to national organization, Stand for Children Leadership Center. Stand for Children Leadership Center was established in 1996 after founder Jonah Edelman rallied more than 300,000 people in Washington, D.C. to draw attention to education inequities across the country.
"I learned I am a leader... I found an inner voice that was hidden and now I'm not afraid to use it." Natalie Perez, parent and 2021 Advocacy Fellow
"Over the past year, I've had the opportunity to share my lived truth to help inform some, inspire others and most importantly empower individuals to put students in K-12 first. Please know this is just the beginning - I was only exercising my voice for a warm-up." Tina Carroll, parent and 2021 Stand Advocacy Fellow
"It felt really good to testify for a bill that actually passed... it gave us motivation and empowerment that a parent's voice really does matter." Ruby, parent and 2020 Stand Advocacy Fellow