Private Funders in Colorado Invest in Children’s Social and Emotional Health

The LAUNCH Together implementation grant will enable them to expand evidence-based prevention and promotion practices and enhance coordinated community systems. LAUNCH Together is a first in the nation initiative designed to improve social, emotional, behavioral, physical and cognitive outcomes for young children age prenatal through eight and their families in Colorado. LAUNCH Together supports communities across the state in enhancing existing evidence-based prevention and health promotion practices and building more coordinated community systems. Through partnerships, local leaders across health and mental health, early childhood and family support are empowered to work together to create better infrastructure, streamline services and supports and infuse early childhood mental health knowledge to better serve families across settings.

Through the grant, communities are guided around five key strands of work: 1) the integration of behavioral health into primary care; 2) mental health consultation in early care and education settings; 3) enhanced home visiting services; 4) family strengthening and parent education; and 5) screening and assessment. LAUNCH Together is funded through a collaboration of eight Colorado-based foundations. It is inspired and informed by the federal Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration’s (SAMHSA) Project LAUNCH (Linking Actions for Unmet Needs in Children’s Health) initiative and Colorado LAUNCH partners. The state of Colorado has previously received two SAMHSA Project LAUNCH grants, a state grant in 2014 and a community grant in 2010. Colorado is the first state to replicate the full Project LAUNCH model using private funds.

Reviewed November 2018