Valley Settlement works with Spanish-speaking families in the Roaring Fork Valley and beyond to promote early childhood development, advance opportunity, and reduce barriers to accessing vital community resources.
Our mission is to listen to Latina families, and together create opportunities for early childhood and adult education, connection, and growth, so children and families can thrive.
Valley Settlement works in and with the Latina/o community living in the Aspen to Parachute region of Colorado's rural Western Slope. The organization was originally established in 2011 as a project of MANAUS, then later incorporated as a 501(c)(3) in 2016. The project was launched with a listening phase when bilingual, bicultural community organizers met with hundreds of Spanish-speaking Latina/o families throughout the Roaring Fork Valley to understand their experiences settling in this community. Those conversations built Valley Settlement’s foundation and set a model for how the organization would continue to work: listening, building trust, understanding systemic barriers and opportunities, and co-developing programs with the community.
The first two programs launched were El Busesito Preschool, a free bilingual preschool designed to eliminate cost, language, and transportation barriers to accessing early education, and Parent Mentor, a parent volunteer program to build bridges between local schools and Latina/o families. As staff continued to work with families in these programs, other needs and opportunities emerged, and working together with participants, the organization co-created a tapestry of six two-generation programs that are woven into the fabric of families' lives.
Organization name
Valley Settlement
2016
Tax id (EIN)
81-2401368
Category
Education, Human Services
Organization Size
Large Organization
Colorado State Tax Credits
Colorado Child Care Credit
Address
1901 Grand Ave. Ste. 206Headquarters
1901 Grand Ave. Ste. 206Garfield County, CO, US