The Valley Settlement Community Committee: Working Together to Guide Our Expansion
Valley Settlement Community Committee, March 2025
In the fall of 2024, Valley Settlement staff recruited a diverse group of local parents, youth, and community leaders who reside from New Castle to Parachute to form the Valley Settlement Community Committee (VSCC). Tasked with advising the organization on its programmatic expansion into western Garfield County, this dedicated group of volunteers is working with Valley Settlement staff through activities including community asset mapping and data action sessions to identify areas of opportunity for growth and partnership and promote collaboration with the community. The VSCC members use their expertise, lived experience, and knowledge to provide input on the local landscape, increasing the alignment of Valley Settlement’s approach and programs with the needs, challenges, dreams, and desires of the Latina/o community in western Garfield County and ensuring inclusivity and equity in our expansion plans. The monthly VSCC meetings include a meal, with childcare available for those who need it, and participating members receive a stipend for each session attended. We are honored by the VSCC members’ commitment and contributions to this collective work, which has been a valuable new way for our team to co-develop community-driven programs and solutions.
Standing Alongside Our Community
Our team is committed to ensuring immigrant families in our communities are firm in the knowledge of their rights and able to plan for their futures. In collaboration with Family Resource Center of the Roaring Fork Schools and Alpine Legal Services, Valley Settlement staff are preparing to share knowledge and resources through Know-Your-Rights training sessions, and support parents one-on-one in planning for the future safety and wellbeing of their children. If you would like to learn more about these efforts or get involved, please contact Sally Boughton (sally@valleysettlement.org).
Parent Mentor Lead Volunteers
New Parent Mentors in a school benefit from the lead volunteer model, receiving advice and communication when it’s most needed.
New for the 2024-25 program year, the Parent Mentor program implemented a lead volunteer model, providing opportunities for leadership and increased responsibility for experienced Parent Mentors. The team recruited Mentors to take on added duties in four schools from Basalt to Glenwood Springs, which include acting as a guide and resource for newer volunteers and facilitating communication between the schools and Valley Settlement staff. Lead volunteers receive additional training, complete additional hours, and receive an increased stipend to thank them for their time and dedication to the role. The new model provides additional capacity for some of the day-to-day logistics of program implementation and ensures that newer Parent Mentors have in-school access to guidance and support from a more experienced volunteer 3 to 4 days per week. The pilot went very well and has continued in the Spring 2025 semester with an additional lead volunteer in a fifth school. As one staff member says “It’s exciting and motivating for those who have been with the program for a long time to know there is an opportunity for growth and a chance to gain new experiences within the program. This model is a way to develop skills for other opportunities in the future.” In the 2025-26 program year, we hope to implement the lead volunteer model in all schools we work with where a lead is needed.
Did You Know?
Each year, our Learning with Love team holds “Family Nights” to bring multiple classes of parents/caregivers and their children together to explore topics on a particular theme. The latest Family Night focused on literacy and included a live performance of “The Three Little Pigs” by Valley Settlement’s very talented Family Educators. They huffed and puffed and blew us away with their creativity!
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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