Smarter Solutions, Stronger Support - Powered by a Mission That Matters ELV helps child care providers offer higher quality care at lower costs.
Each day, millions of children from six weeks to 14-years-old are placed in some form of child-care arrangement. About 85 percent of early care and education programs are delivered by the private sector, through nonprofit, faith-based, and for-profit centers, as well as thousands of home-based businesses. The lack of coordination and a unifying infrastructure in the child care sector results in un
08/10/2026
From Colorado to South Carolina, center-based programs are seeing how the right systems and support can reduce stress, increase efficiency, and strengthen their impact every single day.
At Early Learning Ventures, we’re proud to support providers wherever they are on their journey. ✨
Want to learn more? Visit our website or reach out directly at [email protected]
08/07/2026
🗣️ Every child deserves to have their voice heard.
In this week's Family Engagement Fridays podcast, ELV's Early Intervention Manager, Laura Vega Flores, shares her personal journey as the parent of a child with autism and offers valuable insights on helping children develop self-advocacy skills.
🎧 Listen now and discover how families can empower their children to become active participants in their learning and everyday lives.
https://www.earlylearningventures.org/helping-children-find-their-voice/
Helping Children Find Their Voice - Early Learning Ventures In this episode of Family Engagement Fridays, Laura Vega Flores, Early Learning Ventures' Early Intervention Manager, shares her personal experience as the parent of a child with autism and the journey of helping her son develop self-advocacy skills. Laura discusses the importance of advocating for....
The Denver Museum of Nature & Science supports young learners, families, and early childhood educators through immersive science and nature programs. From field trips and school-based workshops to family learning experiences, the Museum inspires discovery both onsite and in the community. Its flagship educator program, Science is Everywhere, provides Colorado Shines-approved professional development focused on inquiry-based teaching and fostering scientific curiosity in early childhood classrooms.
Today’s guest is Tamera Sakotas, a former Sesame Workshop Curriculum Specialist and current Teacher Programs Consultant at the Denver Museum of Nature & Science. She works with educators to bring research-informed, play-based learning and science exploration into early childhood classrooms.
Get in touch with Tamera:
[email protected]
To learn more:
All student and educator programs can be found here.: https://www.dmns.org/learn/
Teacher Professional Development Page:
https://www.dmns.org/learn/tpd/
Rocky Mountain Mind, Brain and Education Conference. https://www.dmns.org/learn/tpd/events-and-conferences/rocky-mountain-mind-brain-education-conference/
If you have any questions or would like to provide feedback or suggestions for these What’s Up Wednesday videos, please email Rachel at:
[email protected]
To learn more about Early Learning Ventures and how we can support you in running a successful childcare business, click here: https://www.earlylearningventures.org/about/
To sign up for our free resource platform available to those who are in the ECE field and live in Colorado, click here: https://www.sharedeceresourcesco.org/
Be sure to follow us on Facebook and subscribe to our YouTube channel to look out for future videos!
08/03/2026
POV: You just discovered your new favorite child care management software 👀✨
Alliance CORE is here to help take your child care program to the next level—streamlining operations, saving time, and making your day-to-day easier.
Ready to learn more? Visit our website or reach out at [email protected] 💜
07/31/2026
🌟 New Family Engagement Fridays Episode! 🌟
In this week’s Family Engagement Fridays episode, we explore why boredom isn't actually a bad thing. Unstructured time can help children build creativity, problem-solving skills, independence, and confidence. Sometimes the best learning happens when kids are given the space to figure things out on their own!
🎧 Listen now: https://www.earlylearningventures.org/boredom-isnt-bad/
Boredom isn't Bad - Early Learning Ventures July is Anti-Boredom Month, but what if boredom isn't actually a bad thing? In this episode of Family Engagement Fridays, we explore how unstructured play helps young children develop creativity, independence, problem-solving skills, and confidence. Parents often feel pressure to keep children const...
There's still time to participate! This tax education project offers child care providers in Arizona, Colorado, Nebraska, and Wisconsin the opportunity to have their tax documents reviewed by certified Tax Education Coaches. Whether you filed an extension or want to explore missed deductions, expert support is available to help you make informed tax decisions.
Many child care providers miss valuable tax deductions each year. Through this two-year initiative, trained and certified Tax Education Coaches help providers review their tax returns, identify potential errors or missed deductions, and determine whether amending a return could lead to greater savings.
Kelly Matthews, Director of Family Child Care Strategy and Advancement, has been with the Wisconsin Early Childhood Association since 2011. She has a master's degree in human development (with dual specializations in early childhood and leadership in education and human services with a subspecialty in teaching adults). Her education is complemented by more than 25 years of experience in the ECE field where she has excelled in roles as lead teacher, family child care business owner, supervisor, trainer, mentor, and coach. Kelly also is a nationally sought-after speaker and consultant for her early childhood expertise. She is the co-author of Build It Strong! How to make your child care business thrive from Start-up to retirement.
To learn more:
https://wisconsinearlychildhood.org/tax-education/
https://builditstrongece.org/
If you have any questions or would like to provide feedback or suggestions for these What’s Up Wednesday videos, please email Rachel at:
[email protected]
To learn more about Early Learning Ventures and how we can support you in running a successful childcare business, click here: https://www.earlylearningventures.org/about/
To sign up for our free resource platform available to those who are in the ECE field and live in Colorado, click here: https://www.sharedeceresourcesco.org/
Be sure to follow us on Facebook and subscribe to our YouTube channel to look out for future videos!
07/27/2026
Exciting update! 🚀
Alliance CARE now integrates with Colorado’s PDIS system, making it easier than ever for substitutes and agencies to stay organized.
This innovative collaboration between Early Learning Ventures and the Colorado Department of Early Childhood is a first-of-its-kind connection that automatically syncs verified training records—reducing paperwork, saving time, and keeping information accurate and up to date. 💜
07/24/2026
New Family Engagement Fridays podcast episode!📣
How can greater disability awareness help create stronger families, schools, and communities?
In this episode of Family Engagement Fridays, Michelle Gilman, Speech-Language Pathologist with Early Intervention Colorado, shares practical ways to recognize and appreciate individual differences, communicate with respect, and support people with disabilities in everyday interactions.
Join us for an important conversation about building communities rooted in dignity and respect.
🎧 Listen now: https://www.earlylearningventures.org/building-communities-with-dignity-and-respect/
Building Communities with Dignity and Respect - Early Learning Ventures In this episode, Michelle Gilman, Speech-Language Pathologist with Early Intervention Colorado, discusses the importance of Disability Awareness and how greater understanding can strengthen families, schools, and communities. Michelle shares practical ways to recognize and appreciate individual diff...
Lucy joined Parent Possible in 2020. In her role as Vroom Partner Manager, she is responsible for building and sustaining a diverse network of Vroom partners throughout Colorado. Her work includes seeking out trusted messenger organizations and institutions to partner with, as well as providing training, communication, and support to current partners to ensure effective implementation of Vroom.
Parent Possible works with over 200 partners across Colorado to share Vroom with families.
Vroom is a global program of the Bezos Family Foundation. They believe all parents have the potential to create a bright future for their children. Their free, science-based tips and tools help parents and caregivers give children a great start in life today—and an even better future.
To learn more:
https://parentpossible.org/
https://www.vroom.org/
Contact Lucy with questions about Parent Possible or Vroom:
[email protected] – Lucy can connect out of state listeners with their local Vroom activation team.
If you have any questions or would like to provide feedback or suggestions for these What’s Up Wednesday videos, please email Rachel at:
[email protected]
To learn more about Early Learning Ventures and how we can support you in running a successful childcare business, click here: https://www.earlylearningventures.org/about/
To sign up for our free resource platform available to those who are in the ECE field and live in Colorado, click here: https://www.sharedeceresourcesco.org/
Be sure to follow us on Facebook and subscribe to our YouTube channel to look out for future videos!
07/20/2026
Real impact at scale. 💜
Hearing from multi-site support organizations in New York highlights how the right systems don’t just help one child care program—they strengthen entire networks of providers and the communities they serve.
With Alliance CORE, programs can simplify processes, increase efficiency, and create more time to focus on quality care and meaningful connections.
Want to learn more? Visit our website or reach out directly at [email protected].