Progress Now Action

Bell Policy Center releases new statewide findings in Colorado: A State of Opportunity 2005 Report

9 Gateways • 39 Indicators • 55 Recommendations
Research, analysis and solid ideas for action.

For most people, Colorado is a state that offers plenty of opportunity to achieve the American Dream. The economy is rebounding, most families earn enough to get ahead and residents are healthier compared to those in other states.

But for low-income and many minority residents, the state of opportunity in Colorado ranges from fair to poor.

Fewer low-income and minority kids graduate from high school, and if they attend college they are more likely to earn low-level degrees.

Minorities suffer from higher rates of obesity, and low-income residents are less likely to have health insurance coverage.

Fewer low-income and minority residents own their homes, and many have little or no savings for retirement or an emergency.

And for middle-income families, opportunity is dwindling for an affordable college education and for health care coverage.

In a new report, the Bell Policy Center assembles the most recent data available to assess the chances for opportunity for a wide spectrum of Colorado residents.

Bell Policy Center is a Denver-based, nonpartisan, public policy think tank that focuses on social issues affecting all of Colorado.

Free copies of Colorado: A State of Opportunity 2005 Report are available by request from Bell Policy Center. Call Bell Policy Center at (303) 297-0456 in metro Denver or (866) 283-8051 toll-free in Colorado. The report is also available in downloadable PDF format on the Bell's web site, TheBell.org. Or you can request a copy by sending your name and mailing address to sullivan@thebell.org

Read our press release about the report in the extended entry.

Key recommendations include funding the Colorado Preschool Program so all eligible children can attend, making college more affordable, raising the minimum wage, providing health insurance coverage for more working families and encouraging more Colorado workers to open bank accounts and save for retirement.

"We will be presenting these recommendations to state legislators and to Colorado's business community. It's in Colorado's best interest to give all residents a good chance for success. People who are educated, healthy and have good jobs give more and take less from society," said Wade Buchanan, Bell Policy Center president.

"We also prepared this report for all Coloradans in hopes of stimulating a broad public debate," Buchanan said. "We are a fortunate state, and we have a moral obligation to use our prosperity to spread opportunity. We believe most Coloradans want this to be a place where anyone who works hard can succeed and get ahead."

Bell Policy Center is a Denver-based, nonpartisan, public policy think tank that focuses on social issues affecting all of Colorado.

The cycles of opportunity and dependency

The indicators and recommendations in the report fall within the cycle of opportunity, a concept Bell developed for its first State of Opportunity report in 2002. The idea is that a healthy birth, good education and job skills lead to a self-sufficient income, home ownership and savings.

Conversely, poor health, failure in school and inadequate job skills lead to unemployment or low-paying work, no health care and no assets. People caught in this cycle of dependency often rely on help from government and charities to get by.

In 2002, Bell identified eight gateways that define success or shortfalls in the cycle of opportunity, ranging from a healthy birth to earning a decent living and building wealth.

In 2005, Bell added a ninth gateway, a financially secure and healthy retirement.

"As more and more Colorado residents reach retirement age, this issue is going to become more critical," said Rich Jones, director of policy and research for Bell.

The gateways are:
1. A healthy birth
2. A safe and stimulating early childhood
3. Building a solid base for literacy
4. Establishing a healthy lifestyle in childhood and adolescence
5. Leaving high school with a diploma and the skills to succeed
6. Access to education and training for adults
7. A healthy adult life
8. Earning a decent living and building wealth
9. A financially secure and healthy retirement

In the new report, Bell's policy analysts present their research on three to six indicators in each gateway, and offer recommendations aimed at legislators and the business community.

Many of these recommendations will be easier to fulfill with the recent passage of Referendum C, which specifically earmarks revenues from existing taxes for K-12 education, higher education and health care.

"Because voters endorsed Referendum C, we can make visible gains in expanding opportunity for Coloradans," Buchanan said.

Key findings and recommendations

Gateway 1, a healthy birth. The rate of prenatal care is falling slightly, but fewer mothers are smoking before or during pregnancy. Among six recommendations in the report, Bell calls for nurse home visitor programs for expectant mothers to be extended to all counties in Colorado.

Gateway 2, a safe and stimulating early childhood. More low-income kids are gaining vital early learning through the Colorado Preschool Program, and the effort has proven its success. Among five recommendations, Bell suggests that the preschool program be further expanded so all eligible kids can attend.

Gateway 3, building a solid base for literacy. Third grade reading scores have generally held steady since 2001, but the achievement gap begins to separate students at this level. Low-income and minority students fall behind their peers by as much as 20 points. Among seven recommendations, Bell will advocate for more funding for reading programs statewide, with better tracking to check their effectiveness.

Gateway 4, establishing a healthy lifestyle in childhood and adolescence. Rates of kids who are overweight or obese have doubled or tripled in the past 20 years, and are particularly high among Hispanic boys and African-American girls. Among four recommendations, Bell calls for Colorado to adopt a successful project launched in Arkansas to collect weight and height data for students and inform kids and their parents about better eating and exercise habits.

Gateway 5, leaving high school with a diploma and the skills to succeed. Colorado is making modest progress in improving 10th grade math scores, but even among the best performing groups, only 42 percent of kids are proficient in math. Overall, just 30 percent of 10th graders are proficient. Bell takes this problem seriously, because it will ultimately affect Colorado's ability to compete in the global market. Among seven recommendations, Bell proposes a special state commission to study math curricula and teaching to learn what works best in other states and around the world.

Gateway 6, access to education and training for adults. The rising price of a college education affects most families in Colorado, and hits low-income families the hardest. Among seven recommendations, Bell calls for Colorado to use Referendum C revenues to keep College Opportunity Fund stipends as high as possible, and increase the amount of need-based financial aid.

Gateway 7, a healthy adult life. By 2004, 18 percent of working-age adults in Colorado had no health insurance. Many earn too much to qualify for Medicaid, but can't afford to buy insurance. Colorado businesses offer workplace health coverage at higher rates than other states, but small and rural businesses find it more difficult every year to pay employee health insurance premiums. Among four recommendations, Bell will advocate for using Referendum C revenues to expand state Medicaid coverage for working poor families. Bell also recommends careful consideration of the proposals suggested by a legislative interim committee that spent the summer studying health care issues.

Gateway 8, earning a decent living and building wealth. Using the self-sufficiency standard, a comprehensive measure of a family's ability to make it in today's economy, 36 percent of families earn less than what it takes to get by even in the least expensive parts of Colorado. Among nine recommendations, Bell proposes that if the federal government fails to raise the minimum wage (currently at $5.15 an hour), Colorado should raise its minimum wage to at least $6.15 an hour.

Gateway 9, a financially secure and healthy retirement. The number of retirees in Colorado is growing. But the average rate of families with retirement assets is just 52 percent, and the average value of assets is just $29,000. Among six recommendations, Bell calls on businesses to make enrollment in 401(K) retirement plans the default, so workers must opt out instead of opting in.

Free copies of Colorado: A State of Opportunity 2005 Report are available by request from Bell Policy Center. Send an e-mail to sullivan@thebell.org with your name and complete mailing address, or call Bell Policy Center at (303) 297-0456 in metro Denver or (866) 283-8051 toll-free in Colorado.

The report is also available in downloadable PDF format on the Bell's web site at Thebell.org.