Laura Michelle Mangels

The Colorado Children’s Campaign is a nonprofit, nonpartisan research, policy, and advocacy organization based in Denver and committed since 1985 to realizing every chance for every child in Colorado. The Campaign advocates for the development and implementation of data-driven public policies that improve child well-being in health, education and early childhood learning and development. The Leading Edge Fellow will lead a project focused on assessing and bolstering the mental and behavioral health of Colorado children and families in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic. The fellow will develop a series of reports illustrating the mental and behavioral health of children and families before COVID-19, as well as the likely and/or documented effects of the pandemic. Most importantly, the reports are expected to include responsive policy solutions with the potential to improve mental health among communities hardest hit by the pandemic and its economic and social effects. The fellow’s work with help soften the ground for legislation at the state level, benefitting Colorado children and their families.