Since our founding, Invest in Kids has been dedicated to addressing the growing health and education disparities between children and families experiencing poverty and their higher socioeconomic peers. We know that in our country these disparities are impacted by race and ethnicity and we chose our programs, in part, because the rigorous research done proved their ability to not only support under- resourced communities but because they were also shown to be culturally competent. Over the last few months Invest in Kids has been reflecting on our role in systemic racism and the inadvertent harm our organization may have caused. We are listening and learning in a way we have never done before.The board and staff are currently executing on our 2020 Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion (EDI) plan with the support of our Equity Consultant, Kim Desmond. Importantly, this includes creating an Equity Action Plan based on the findings from our completed Practice and Policy Audit. In the audit, the staff defined Equity Criteria, ran each practice/policy through this lens and considered the feasibility of all items. For each activity set forth in this Equity Action Plan, we will set our objectives, identify resources needed,
meet deadlines and report on our progress. This Action Plan will prioritize our next steps as we seek to root out inequities within our organization. It is our commitment to share this ongoing work with you, so that we may take action and remain accountable.

Invest in Kids’ commitment to help build a future where we can no longer predict child and family outcomes, such as healthy pregnancies, healthy child development, or school readiness based on socioeconomic status or race, remains at the forefront of our minds. We stand in solidarity with Black, indigenous, and other people of color to fight the systemic systems of racism. We are prepared to do more and to use our position within the community in support of families living in poverty in Colorado.

“Do the best you can until you know better. Then when you know better, do better.” – Maya Angelou

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