Children

Children

With four children of my own and a large extended family, I cherish children as our future, I value the role of parents, and I understand how much is at stake if we don't work together on behalf of our kids.

My career has been devoted to protecting children from harm. I sponsored and signed the Denver Interagency Child Abuse Protocol, which ensures that children who are victims of abuse benefit from a coordinated team approach to their case. I helped enact new legislation that allows child witnesses and victims to testify via closed-circuit television rather than in an open courtroom in front of their abuser.

I worked to educate nurses, doctors, clergy, teachers and others on Colorado's mandatory child abuse reporting laws. I sponsored the use of a Forensic Interviewer Program in child abuse cases, so that children who are witnesses or victims of crime are interviewed in a child-friendly environment by experienced professionals. I ensured that children who are victims of sexual assault are provided state-of-the art medical treatment. These efforts were awarded the 2004 Denver Children's Advocacy Center award and the 2005 Champion for Kids Award by the Colorado Children's Campaign, two of the most meaningful achievements of my career.

While my time as a prosecutor was focused on protecting children from violence, we as a state must also make investments that guarantee that our children are the safest, the healthiest and the most well-educated in the country. We could vastly improve the quality of life for Colorado's children by simply making children a priority.

As Governor I will:

* Lift our state from the bottom 10 to the top five in childhood immunizations.

* Ensure that our schools are again among the best in the nation, and work to give every Coloradan the opportunity to go to college or obtain other appropriate education and training beyond high school.

* Fight to make affordable health insurance available for every Colorado child.

* Build on my efforts to fight child abuse and domestic violence.

* Use "prepaid debit cards" to deliver child support electronically to parties who receive child support, with the long-term goal of eliminating checks and delivering all child support electronically via direct deposit.

http://www.ritterforgovernor.com/issuesCH.cfm