Celebrating Graduations
Learning with Love graduation cap, June 2025
Congratulations to the graduates of our programs this year! However old you are, graduations are a commemoration of the hard work behind you and the bright future ahead. Graduates of Valley Settlement’s early childhood and adult-focused programs gathered together in celebration this June, with the promise of more milestones ahead. Valley Settlement’s staff members put so much care, thought, and planning into these celebrations each year, a joyful manifestation of their deep commitment to community. We are proud and grateful to be part of so many families’ stories of growth and achievement.
Piloting the SOMOS Program
As our work to connect with more members of the whole family grows, Valley Settlement is partnering with the Denver-based organization Vuela For Health to pilot the SOMOS program in our communities. SOMOS is a community-driven program that brings middle and high-school-aged youth and their caregivers together to learn how to have meaningful conversations about important issues that can be tricky to talk about. SOMOS allows youth and trusted adults to engage in challenging conversations while building practical skills to support youth as they navigate adolescence. We hope this program will provide a much-needed space for Latina youth, mothers, and caregivers to share, learn, and talk about these sensitive topics together as trusted messengers to each other.
Family, Friends, and Neighbors
Valley Settlement’s Mobile Resource Vehicle, De Mi Casa a Tu Casa.
In May, our Family, Friends, and Neighbors (FFN) team hosted a class of alumnae participants on our mobile resource vehicle, De Mi Casa a Tu Casa. The goal of this class was to introduce alumnae to the Colorado Shines Professional Development Information System (PDIS), a free online resource with an extensive library of child development courses that supports Colorado’s childcare professionals in continuing their learning. FFN staff worked with class attendees as they created Colorado Shines accounts and learned to navigate the online system to identify courses they would like to take in the future. Alumnae were thrilled to know that they can continue building their knowledge about all aspects of child development through Colorado Shines. The group also explored how the PDIS courses can support them in the future if they want to pursue their childcare license.
Holding classes on the mobile resource vehicle enables our team to gather and connect with small groups of childcare providers who are either currently enrolled or have already completed our two-year FFN program, while engaging in training sessions and ongoing learning. This model of connecting and cultivating ongoing professional development within the community of local providers has been successful since we began using the mobile resource vehicle, and we are excited to offer several more classes for providers connected to our program throughout the summer.
Did You Know?
During the 2024-25 program year, forty-five Parent Mentor volunteers dedicated a total of 8,056 volunteer hours to supporting students and teachers in elementary school classrooms across seven schools in the Roaring Fork School District.
Valley Settlement’s 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.
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