The Need
The Need
Their Future Needs You Now
Since 1985, Voices for Children, CASA of Boulder County (VFC) has been a steadfast advocate for children who have experienced abuse, neglect, or instability. Through the recruitment, training, and support of dedicated Court Appointed Special Advocate (CASA) volunteers, VFC ensures that each child has someone who truly listens and believes in them, advocating for their best interests. These volunteers serve as a vital bridge between the child and the court system, helping to secure safe, permanent, and nurturing homes. VFC remains rooted in the belief that every child deserves a future filled with stability and hope.
Community Impact
Child Welfare System Costs
Children without a Court Appointed Special Advocate (CASA) spend an average of eight months longer in foster care compared to those with a CASA volunteer supporting their case (CASA of the Pikes Peak Region). Each additional month in foster care costs Colorado approximately $2,000 per child, meaning that the absence of CASA advocacy creates an added taxpayer burden of roughly $24,000 per year, per child (CarePortal). When children have a CASA, they find stability sooner, experiencing fewer placements, fewer school changes, and more moments of safety and trust. Behind every statistic is a child learning to heal and believe in their future again.
Education & Mental Health
Children without consistent advocates often face frequent school changes, absenteeism, and greater educational disruption, which increases their likelihood of needing special education services, costs that can reach as high as $25,000 per student annually (NCBI; CT General Assembly; Child Welfare Information Gateway). By contrast, CASA involvement has been shown to improve school engagement, reduce behavioral incidents, and support more stable educational outcomes. This not only helps children succeed academically but also lowers long-term community costs by reducing the need for intensive mental health interventions and decreasing the likelihood of future involvement in the juvenile justice system where costs can exceed $66,000 per youth annually (National CASA Impact Research 2014; OJJDP).
Court and Case Management
CASA volunteers help children move more quickly from uncertainty to safety. Their presence ensures that every decision made about a child’s life is guided by the child’s needs, hopes, and voice. This efficiency not only eases strain on the judicial system but also improves outcomes for children. Research shows that children with CASA advocacy are more likely to achieve permanency, whether through reunification, guardianship, or adoption, than children without a CASA. Permanency means children spend less time in foster care, reducing long-term dependency on the child welfare system and generating significant savings in legal and social service costs (National CASA/GAL Association; NCJFCJ CASA Practice Paper).
Long-Term Human Impact
Without early intervention, children who experience abuse or neglect and enter foster care are far more likely to face significant challenges as adults, including homelessness, incarceration, and unemployment (Child Welfare Information Gateway). These poor outcomes don’t just impact the individual child. They also carry a heavy cost for the broader community. Research from the Common Sense Institute of Colorado estimates that each youth who leaves foster care without adequate support represents a lifetime public cost of $309,000 to $343,000, spanning expenses in public assistance, criminal justice, health care, and lost economic productivity (Common Sense Institute). Without support, too many young people face adulthood without a safety net. With a CASA by their side, they gain sustainability, confidence, and the skills to thrive as adults.
VFC as the Solution in Boulder County
Child Welfare System Costs
In Boulder County, no child faces the Dependency and Neglect court system alone. This not only changes lives, it also saves money. Research shows that children without CASA spend an average of eight months longer in foster care, at a cost of roughly $2,000 per month per child. By ensuring that all children in Boulder County have access to a CASA, every child has someone who sees their potential, listens to their story, and walks with them toward safety and belonging. Our community is also avoiding up to $24,000 in additional costs per child, per year, while helping children reach permanency more quickly.
Education & Mental Health
CASA volunteers are deeply engaged in children’s education and well-being. In the past year, 87% of CASA volunteers were informed about their child’s education, and 76% of children received direct educational advocacy to help stabilize and support their learning. Beyond academics, CASA also plays a crucial role in health and mental health: in FY25 alone, 30 volunteers submitted court recommendations concerning a child’s health. CASA volunteers help children stay connected to their school and friends, regain confidence in learning, and access care that supports their emotional healing.
Permanency
CASA volunteers provide the courts with timely, detailed reports that lighten judicial workload and improve case efficiency. In Boulder County, 96% of volunteers were informed and aware of the child’s safety and permanency, ensuring that judges and caseworkers have accurate, up-to-date information. As a result, 94% of children served by CASA experienced one placement move or fewer, a critical factor in reducing trauma and helping children achieve stability. Each court report submitted by a volunteer brings cases closer to resolution, saving time for the courts and reducing long-term system costs.
Early Intervention
CASA’s advocacy extends beyond immediate safety to shaping children’s long-term outcomes. In the past year, 94% of youth served by CASA received developmental advocacy, and 36 children either received or were in the process of receiving early intervention services. These services are proven to improve school readiness, reduce future special education needs, and lower the likelihood of later system involvement. CASA's advocacy helps children build strong foundations early, improving school readiness, emotional resilience, and lifelong well-being.
Funding Is At Risk
Voices for Children is facing a critical funding challenge. VOCA distributions to Colorado have dropped by 76% since 2018, and the ripple effects are being felt locally. For Voices for Children, this has meant a 35% reduction in VOCA funding compared to the previous year.
The loss of government funding alone is destabilizing, but it is happening at the same time that economic uncertainty is reshaping philanthropy. Nationally, charitable giving by individuals has fallen by $65 billion since 2021. Although Boulder County ranks 8th in the highest-earning counties in Colorado, Boulder County ranks 44th out of 64 Colorado counties in charitable giving as a percentage of income. Together, these trends highlight a shrinking pool of resources at the very time when the need for child advocacy is growing.
What This Means for VFC
For Voices for Children, the numbers are stark: in fiscal year 2025, all government contributions made up 49% of Voices for Children donation. The future of this funding has never been more at risk. With an average cost per child of $3,145, this funding reduction means we will be forced to serve 229 fewer youth. Without CASA advocacy, children lose more than support in the child welfare system. They lose the steady presence of someone who is advocating for them. Your support ensures that no child is left without a voice and someone squarely in their corner.
What Your Support Can Do
Enhance Program Quality
Your support ensures children have someone to talk to, someone who listens, someone who helps them feel safe and seen, in the courtroom and beyond. Each CASA serves as a consistent adult voice for a child navigating the child welfare system, ensuring they are seen, heard, and not overlooked. Volunteers prepare child-focused court reports that include vital information on safety, education, and well-being, giving judges the insights they need to make the best possible decisions. Our advocates are trained in trauma-informed care, which means their work prioritizes stability, permanency, and healing. This depth of support leads to better outcomes for children while strengthening the efficiency and effectiveness of the entire child welfare system.
Build Sustainability
To ensure that every child in Boulder County continues to benefit from this life-changing advocacy, Voices for Children is committed to building long-term sustainability. This means offsetting the loss of federal funding with strong community support, while also working to retain and support more volunteers—the very heart of our program. Looking forward, we are also expanding advocacy beyond dependency and neglect (D&N) cases to include truancy and other high-risk situations, utilizing Trust-Based Relational Intervention (TBRI®) practices. These efforts not only broaden our reach but also deepen the quality of advocacy children receive, creating lasting impact across multiple systems. When our community invests in the well-being of children, we create a lasting circle of care, ensuring every child has a dedicated adult guiding them towards healing and hope.
Donate To Help Fund More Advocates
Your financial support helps maintain uninterrupted service amid federal cuts.
$1,000 – Give a Child a Voices
Your gift can help ensure that one child has the steady, consistent support of a CASA volunteer for nearly six months. This covers court reporting, volunteer supervision, and trauma-informed advocacy that helps children find stability faster.
$2,500 – Support a Case to Permanency
At this level, you can help provide the resources for a CASA volunteer to walk alongside a child from appointment to permanency. This gift supports volunteer training, case management, and ongoing advocacy that reduces time in foster care and improves long-term outcomes.
$5,000 – Change a Child’s Story
Your gift fully funds CASA advocacy for two children for an entire year. With CASA involvement, children are more likely to succeed in school, avoid multiple placements, and achieve permanency more quickly, saving both taxpayer dollars and young lives from instability.
$10,000 – Strengthen Our Community
This leadership-level gift ensures that at least four children in Boulder County receive the life-changing advocacy of a CASA volunteer for a year. Beyond individual children, your investment offsets the loss of federal funding, expands CASAs reach into new areas like truancy advocacy, and strengthens the sustainability of our program.
Maximize Your Gift
Donations of $250 or more may qualify for a 50% tax credit in Colorado.
| Initial Contribution | $250 | $500 | $1,000 | $2,500 | $5,000 | $10,000 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| CO Child Care Contribution Tax Credit | (125) | (250) | (500) | (1,250) | (2,500) | (5,000) |
| Federal Tax Savings (32%) | (40) | (80) | (160) | (400) | (800) | (1,600) |
| CO State Tax Savings (4.4%) | (11) | (22) | (44) | (110) | (220) | (440) |
| Out of Pocket Cost | $74 | $148 | $296 | $740 | $1,480 | $2,960 |
We are an approved organization for the Colorado Child Care Tax Credit. This should not be considered tax advice. Please contact your tax advisor.
"As a CASA, you make a meaningful difference in a child's life - a child that doesn't have many people looking out for them."
"Every child deserves a safe environment to grow up in, including a roof over their head, nutritious food in the belly, and an opportunity for education. I'm happy to be a part of the process by being a caring adult who can help a child receive those things."
"There is nothing like the feeling of earning a hug from a child who is generally suspicious of everybody. It's amazing what your calm, regular, and reliable presence can do for a child in need. This is one of the most rewarding volunteer opportunities out there!"