The Colorado Community College System (CCCS) partnered with Education Design Lab to center learners and employers in designing a statewide, stackable, skills-based education model in behavioral health.
In this Impact by Design Brief, we dive deep into Colorado’s journey to understand how they did it … and why it matters.
A few highlights:
Contributors: Tait Kellogg, PhD, Director of Learning, Evaluation + Measurement, Education Design Lab
Published: November 2025
Across the country, communities face a growing shortage of behavioral health professionals, with over a third of the population living in an area with a scarcity of providers.¹ Traditional pathways into these careers require a master’s degree, often delaying workforce entry and limiting access for lower-income and rural individuals.² Training is frequently theory-heavy and lacks early hands-on experience, rather than being grounded in building skills needed by employers.
In Colorado, policymakers saw an opportunity to approach this challenge differently. By leveraging one-time federal American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funds through the State and Local Fiscal Recovery Funds (SLFRF), the state bet on a powerful but often overlooked engine for talent development: the community college system.
Rather than invest solely in infrastructure or short-term interventions (as some states did³), Colorado policymakers sought to create a comprehensive behavioral health workforce strategy by passing Senate Bill 22-181. This approach aligns with national evidence showing that community colleges are uniquely positioned to respond quickly to workforce needs, especially in health care, by offering short-term, stackable, and affordable credentials that reflect employer demand.⁴ As defined by the Community College Research Center (CCRC), stackable credentials are modular, employer-aligned awards that enable workers to “earn while they learn” and progress incrementally toward higher-level qualifications.⁵
The bill tasked the Colorado Community College System (CCCS), which partnered with the national experts at Education Design Lab, to center learners and employers in designing a statewide, stackable, skills-based education model in behavioral health. ⁶ This model creates multiple entry points and advancement opportunities for learners through eight new programs – five micro-credentials, two Associate of Applied Science (AAS) degrees, and a Bachelor’s of Applied Science (BAS) degree with two concentration options. These academic pathways are offered locally at community colleges across the state (including in high schools through concurrent enrollment), removing the need to relocate or take on significant debt to begin or grow a career in behavioral health.
Iteratively Designed Curriculum, Based on Employer Input. Each credential is designed with employer input, focuses on real-world skills, and includes hands-on experience within the first year of training. Micro-credentials can be completed quickly and are built to lead into associate and bachelor’s degree programs, enabling learners to “earn while they learn” and gradually advance their careers while still pursuing education.
Community Colleges are Leading Via Statewide Collaboration. Seven community colleges played a central role in designing and delivering the new pathway, with other colleges adapting the academic pathway for their context later. A collaborative curriculum committee created 16 new BEH-prefix courses grounded in applied skills and experiential learning, created five new courses aligned with industry training and existing Counseling (CSL) courses, and updated 24 existing courses. CCCS provided project management and administrative support for the design of a shared, system-wide curriculum that community colleges can tailor to their local context through online, in-person, or hybrid approaches and partnership with local employers for experiential learning collaboration.
Community Colleges are Nurturing a Statewide Ecosystem to Strengthen the Behavioral Health Workforce. CCCS leaders brought together a new ecosystem for iterative co-design with regulatory agencies, employers, K-12 educators, and learners. Two state agencies, the Behavioral Health Administration (BHA) and the Department of Health Care Policy and Financing (Medicaid) (HCPF), helped shape credential competencies and the scopes of practice to ensure roles were viable and reimbursable.
The Pathway Offers a “Grow Your Own Talent” Model for Behavioral Health. Place-bound learners, particularly in rural communities, often lack access to four-year institutions.⁷ By offering an affordable, local bachelor’s degree through the community college system, Colorado addressed both educational opportunity gaps and workforce shortages. Many learners can now complete their behavioral health education, from micro-credential to associate degree to bachelor’s degree, without leaving their community.
Micro-credential Pathways Aligned with Medicaid-Reimbursable Care Team Roles. Through SB 22-181 and extensive agency collaboration, Colorado defined and approved a new Medicaid-eligible role for entry-level behavioral health workers. Research has found that Medicaid-care-team-eligible roles offer an efficient model for expanding access to behavioral health services through paraprofessionals and team-based care.⁶ In the team-based care approach, master’s-level clinicians are able to focus on high-scope tasks while credentialed paraprofessionals provide supportive services. The bachelor’s degree is also aligned with a mid-level Medicaid-eligible role, and the goal is to add another layer with a Medicaid-eligible role aligned with the associate degree.
A Workforce that Reflects the Communities It Serves. The pathway is designed to recruit locally across the state, creating opportunities for people who live in the communities that need care. This is especially valuable in behavioral health, where shared background and lived experience can help with overcoming stigma around seeking support. Research from the National Academy for State Health Policy highlights that increasing diversity in the behavioral health workforce is essential to improving culturally competent care and addressing disparities in access, with many states implementing targeted strategies to recruit and retain providers from underrepresented communities.⁸
A Practical Entry Point, with Room to Grow Although the first credentials in the pathway do not immediately lead to higher wages—reflecting broader labor market conditions in entry-level health roles—they offer a fast and affordable way to enter the field. Learners can begin working, gaining experience and income, while continuing to stack credentials and move into higher-level, higher-paying positions over time. Many faculty who designed the program noted that in their own training, it took years before they had the chance to work directly with patients. This pathway changes that, creating earlier opportunities to practice, contribute, and grow.
Early Access Through High School Colorado intentionally designed micro-credentials for delivery in high schools via concurrent enrollment or Career and Technical Education, and scholarships are available for high school teachers to earn behavioral health teaching qualifications. Research shows that availability of high school programs significantly improve college access and success for underserved students by providing earlier and more affordable pathways into postsecondary education.¹⁰
Associate of Applied Science (AAS) The colleges aligned the Associate of Applied Science (AAS) in Addiction Recovery and the AAS in Mental Health and Social Work to incorporate hands-on learning, field placements, and new courses built from employer feedback. These degrees build on micro-credentials and bridge directly into the bachelor’s programs.
Bachelor of Applied Science (BAS) Four community colleges offer a BAS in Behavioral Health as of Fall 2025. The program is designed around employer-validated, mid-level roles such as Case Manager and Certified Addiction Specialist (CAS). It is affordable, local, and either terminal or transferable to graduate programs. Colorado is also developing articulation agreements with master’s programs to expand opportunities for unique partnerships, further developing a grow-your-own model toward a full behavioral health pathway.
Colorado’s behavioral health pathway has demonstrated what is possible when federal recovery dollars are used to drive innovation and equity at the state level. By investing in community colleges as the backbone of workforce development, the state created a model that meets learners where they are, helps employers fill critical roles, and expands access to care for Coloradans.
Building on this foundation and other assets in the state, Colorado is expanding its efforts to better align education and workforce pathways. In 2025, Governor Jared Polis signed an Executive Order to reimagine the state’s postsecondary talent development system.¹¹ The order brings together multiple state agencies to create a more integrated, learner-centered system that connects education, training, and employer needs. It builds on earlier task forces (HB-21-1330 and HB-22-1215) that identified key gaps in the system. At the same time, the Colorado Senate continues to advance legislation that expands career-connected learning, aligns education with labor market demands, and supports underrepresented learners. This unified vision strengthens micro-credentials, simplifies credential attainment, and breaks down barriers between learning and work — positioning Colorado as a national leader in building a more inclusive and effective talent development system.
Across the country, there is a growing need for behavioral health services and too few trained professionals to provide them. Traditionally, behavioral health jobs require a master’s degree, making it difficult for new talent to enter the field quickly or affordably. The training that undergirds these degrees is often theoretical, with little opportunity to work with clients through experiential learning baked into educational experiences until the master’s-level coursework. In response, Colorado made a bold bet: use its community college system to create a stackable, affordable, skills-based behavioral health pathway that provides early opportunity for work-based education and reaches populations typically excluded from traditional education.
The result is a full continuum of micro-credentials, associate degrees, and a bachelor’s program, all designed for real-world roles and grounded in cross-sector collaboration. This new pathway partners with the traditional pathway to create not a replacement, but a complementary approach and entry to the field. Not only does it add entry- and mid-level positions to the field, but it can decrease the burnout experienced by master’s level clinicians trying to cover every level of care for clients. It moves away from a single practitioner model to a team practice model.
Here’s how other states or systems can build their own behavioral health pathway.
1. Secure Dedicated Funding and Legislative Backing
Colorado’s Senate Bill 22-181 provided clear legislative direction and a statewide funding structure for Colorado’s behavioral health pathway, supported by federal recovery funding and strong leadership from the Colorado Legislature and Governor’s Office. Each community college in the system was empowered to develop its own implementation budget, primarily used to hire faculty and staff for curriculum development and implementation. A state-level team, including a program manager/project lead, a subject matter expert faculty member contracted from one of the community colleges, and a policy consultant allowed for focused curriculum development that would not have been possible to this extent without state funding. CCCS provided centralized technical assistance through the Education Design Lab to ensure that all credentials were portable across the 13 system colleges, aligned with employer expectations, and stackable within the broader education-to-career pathway. SB 22-181 funds also supported the CCCS Rural Mental Health Development Project, which expanded mental health services at rural colleges across the state, coordinated and supervised by a licensed practitioner.
2. Build a Cross-Sector Ecosystem
CCCS took a structured approach to stakeholder engagement. First, they identified key stakeholders, including the state’s Medicaid agency, K-12 partners, employers, and learners. Next, they assessed where strong relationships already existed and where gaps remained, particularly with state agencies involved in determining Medicaid eligibility to be part of a care team with appropriate clinical supervision. The central planning team then worked to build new connections, ensuring early and ongoing communication with all critical partners. They continue to engage each stakeholder as appropriate, for example, working with Medicaid to confirm that skills align with eligibility requirements for higher level reimbursable roles.
Goal: Provide short, stackable credentials rooted in skill-based, work-based learning that lead to employment and build toward degrees.
3. Co-Create Curriculum with a Cross-Functional Team
CCCS hired a subject matter expert, a psychology faculty member from one of the community colleges, to assemble and lead the curriculum committee. They intentionally selected a wide range of expertise for the committee, including licensed clinicians (LPCs, LCSWs), CTE experts, and faculty and staff from rural and urban colleges. This type of collaborative team across different colleges is unique, as colleges are often competing against each other for learners rather than developing a curriculum that can be used across the state in collaboration. Because few relevant courses existed, the curriculum committee developed a new prefix, built 21 new courses drawing from the state’s Common Course Numbering System where possible, and ensuring alignment with industry requirements where needed. These courses are only offered by the community college system, and colleges across the state have adapted the courses to their local needs. For example, the same courses are taught online, in-person, and hyflex at different colleges, and offered at different paces depending on the context.
4. Align with a Reimbursable Job Role
Recognizing the financial realities of healthcare hiring, CCCS collaborated with the Behavioral Health Administration (BHA) and Health Care Policy and Financing (HCPF) to co-design a Medicaid-eligible care team role. These agencies continuously offer input on scope of practice, competency needs, and supervision requirements. Medicaid approval took nine months, led by the lead subject matter expert and policy consultant. Medicaid care team eligibility made the new Qualified Behavioral Health Assistant (QBHA) role financially viable for employers, further enabling a team-based model: Bachelor’s- or master’s-level clinicians could offload entry-level-scope tasks to micro-credentialed workers (QBHAs), increasing efficiency and access to care.
5. Support Upskilling Through Competency-Based Bootcamps
The first level of the five micro-credentials offered is the 6-credit Behavioral Health + (BH+) credential, designed to support workers already in the behavioral health field. This credential is offered as a self-paced, online bootcamp using a competency-based learning (CBL) model, recognizing prior experience, focusing on upskilling in targeted areas. CBL principles are also embedded across all five micro-credentials, allowing learners to accelerate through the program as they demonstrate mastery.
Goal: Introduce learners early to behavioral health careers, especially in underserved areas, and accelerate time to completion that can close talent shortages.
6. Involve K-12 Early
Recognizing that not every credential is able to be offered in the high school context, CCCS included K-12 partners early to surface practical barriers. For example, the initial design for the Qualified Behavioral Health Associate (QBHA) micro-credential included Adult Mental Health First Aid training, a well-known industry certification. However, this program was not accessible to learners under 18 and exceeded allowable high school credit hours. As a result, Colorado designed its own course focused on crisis intervention skills, aligned with industry needs but accessible in the high school context.
7. Align Policy Across Systems
To support seamless learner progression, CCCS aligned policies between secondary and postsecondary systems. One early action step was getting the QBHA added to the state’s Career Development Incentive Program list, enabling high schools to receive funding for learners who complete it and encouraging broader adoption across districts. Others included agreements on credit transfer, instructor qualifications, and course scheduling. These cross-system partnerships were essential for ensuring that behavioral health pathways could be delivered consistently and equitably across the state.
8. Remove Barriers to Instructor Qualification
One of the biggest national barriers to concurrent enrollment is the shortage of high school teachers qualified to teach college-level courses. Colorado tackled this by creating a dedicated Behavioral Health (BEH) course prefix, and utilizing the Behavioral Health Assistant II micro-credential for the teaching qualifications for the QBHA. This made it possible for secondary teachers to upskill once and teach the full program, rather than requiring multiple separate qualifications.
To increase the number of eligible instructors, CCCS received foundation funding to offer scholarships that supported high school teachers in earning the necessary qualifications to teach BEH-prefixed courses. This financial support lowered a major barrier to implementation.
Goal: Prepare learners for entry-level behavioral health jobs or continued education by building on existing micro-credentials to develop an applied associate degree.
9. Unbundle Skills from Existing Degrees
Pueblo Community College had already developed an Associate of Applied Science (AAS) in Addiction Support, but it was limited in scope and built from unrelated course prefixes. The curriculum committee used this existing degree as a foundation and used a backward design process to unbundle the AAS into industry-relevant skill clusters. Although they eventually created the majority of courses from scratch, grounded in experiential learning, the existence of this original degree helped in both the micro-credential and associate degree curriculum development.
10. Embed Work-Based Learning
Across both the associate and bachelor’s degrees, the team emphasized work-based learning: Field placements, class-based role-playing, and live simulations with actors portraying crisis scenarios. Learners gain real-world experience, grounded in specific skills relevant to the field, early and often. Work-based learning is offered both online and in person, depending on the college’s capacity and local context, allowing both urban and rural colleges to meet experiential learning requirements and providing learners with real-world exposure before entering the workforce.
11. Design a BAS That Leads to Jobs and Grad School
The team designed the AAS as a true “stackable” credential that would serve both as a terminal workforce credential and a bridge to a Bachelor of Applied Science (BAS) in Behavioral Health. Once the AAS revision was complete, curriculum leads identified upper-division competencies needed for mid-level jobs. They then used that list to build BAS coursework in areas such as systems of care and trauma. This collaborative curriculum design enabled shared resources across institutions and ensured statewide relevance and industry partner guidance. Experiential learning remains a core focus, with project-based courses as well as practicum and internship experiences embedded across the program.
Recognizing the ongoing demand for master’s-level clinicians, CCCS ensured its community college BAS programs are also accepted into all Colorado state master’s programs in mental health, counseling, and social work. Additionally, CCCS is developing memoranda of understanding (MOUs) with in-state graduate programs to expand creative partnerships, expand behavioral health skills in related fields, and create new educational pathways for BAS graduates, such as a pathway from the BAS in Behavioral Health to a Master’s of Arts in Teaching. This includes mapping curriculum across both levels to align content and reduce duplication. These efforts ensure that the Behavioral Health AAS and BAS degrees not only lead to jobs, but also keep doors open to advancement — supporting a pipeline of locally trained clinicians.
12. Build Institutional and System Approval Together
Launching a bachelor’s program at the community college level required both system-level and college-level approvals. The Colorado Community College System coordinated a joint application to the State Board for approval to offer the new degree. Four colleges participated in the development process, forming a subset of the curriculum team to create and submit the board packet. Once approved, individual colleges pursued Higher Learning Commission (HLC) accreditation. For colleges offering a bachelor’s degree for the first time, this involved a full HLC site visit and new credential-level approval. Colleges with prior BAS programs faced a lighter review process. This coordinated approach enabled equitable access to the BAS while ensuring academic quality and compliance.
13. Validate With Employers and Build Feedback Loops for Continuous Iteration
A key focus of this ecosystem-building effort has been employers. CCCS and the Lab centered employer voice through early structured listening sessions that asked:
These collaborative and facilitated design sessions were critical to shaping credential design and ensuring alignment with real-world job demands. Employers continue to be included in course review and skill validation, including through an annual statewide industry partner meeting, which brings together partners from across the state (also unique to this program), as well as annual local industry partner advisory meetings at each college.
14. Involve State Agencies as Partners, Not Just Approvers
Colorado’s curriculum is shaped by ongoing input from Medicaid and employers, which provide guidance on competencies, scope of practice, and eligibility for Medicaid inclusion. As described earlier in the design of the Medicaid-eligible care team role (the QBHA), CCCS continues to involve agencies as partners that continuously offer input on scope of practice, competency needs, and supervision requirements.
15. Align the Whole Pathway Around Real Roles
The goal isn’t to create isolated credentials, it’s to build a scaffolded pathway where each credential has value in the job market and leads to the next opportunity.
As of summer 2025, the team at CCCS have engaged with Health Care Policy and Financing (HCPF) and the Behavioral Health Administration (BHA) to define the scope of practice and reimbursement eligibility for additional micro-credential levels, the AAS, and the BAS. The AAS level is currently a stepping stone toward the BAS (which is currently recognized by Medicaid under a broad bachelor’s-level provider category), but the HCPF doesn’t (yet) recognize a scope of practice for this level beyond the QBHA micro-credential, despite more advanced skills developed in this stage of training. Led by a policy expert, this team of partners is now working to distinguish AAS completers from those with shorter-term credentials. The AAS is designed to be positioned between the micro-credentialed Qualified Behavioral Health Assistant (QBHA) and the bachelor’s degree, allowing for greater workforce stratification. This structure supports clearer career progression and (in some cases) appropriate pay differentials based on skills and credentials.
Colorado’s behavioral health pathway shows what’s possible when systems stop designing in silos and start building with intention. By aligning credentials with real job roles, breaking down institutional barriers, and grounding everything in collaboration, Colorado didn’t just fill a gap, it created a durable, scalable model that bridges education and employment. For states facing urgent workforce shortages, this approach offers a template for how to build not just a pipeline, but a more equitable and effective system.
About the Contributors
This publication was authored by Tait Kellogg, PhD, Director of Learning, Evaluation + Measurement at Education Design Lab. Tait is dedicated to helping everyone see themselves as a “data person” by supporting Lab project teams and community college partners to identify their intended social impact, develop clear measurement strategies, and share insights learned along the way.
How We Used AI
AI was used for editing purposes for select passages (ChatGPT). Key themes were organized based on past Lab frameworks, not using AI. All use of AI has been reviewed to align with Education Design Lab’s approach to human-centered design and responsible innovation, and its standards for accuracy, equity, and ethical use.
References
¹ National Center for Health Workforce Analysis, HRSA. (2024, November). State of the behavioral health workforce. https://bhw.hrsa.gov/sites/default/files/bureau-health-workforce/state-of-the-behavioral-health-workforce-report-2024.pdf
² Brookings Institution. (2023). Foundations of regional economic transformation. https://www.brookings.edu/articles/foundations-of-regional-economic-transformation/
³ National Conference of State Legislatures. (2024). Behavioral health workforce shortages and state resource systems. https://documents.ncsl.org/wwwncsl/Health/SNAPSHOT-Behavioral-Health-Workforce-Shortage.pdf
⁴ National Skills Coalition. (2024). College and career possibilities rooted in place: How rural community college and industry partnerships help people, communities, and business thrive. https://nationalskillscoalition.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/NSC-collegeandcareer_final.pdf
⁵ Bailey, T., & Belfield, C. R. (2017). Stackable credentials: Awards for the future? Community College Research Center, Teachers College, Columbia University. https://ccrc.tc.columbia.edu/publications/stackable-credentials-awards-for-future.html
⁶ Education Design Lab. (2022). Micro-pathways: A gateway to community college transformation (Design Insights Series). https://eddesignlab.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/CCGEF_Insights_Brief_01.14.22.pdf
⁷ New America. (2022). Community college baccalaureate programs as an equity strategy: Student access and outcomes data. https://www.newamerica.org/education-policy/briefs/community-college-baccalaureate-programs-as-an-equity-strategy-student-access-and-outcomes-data/
⁸ National Academy for State Health Policy. (2023). State Strategies to Increase Diversity in the Behavioral Health Workforce. https://nashp.org/state-strategies-to-increase-diversity-in-the-behavioral-health-workforce/
⁹ National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. (2024). Expanding behavioral health care workforce participation to address the crisis of access: A workshop summary. https://nap.nationalacademies.org/read/27759/chapter/6
¹⁰ Community College Research Center. (2023). Effects of dual enrollment programs on college access and success. https://ccrc.tc.columbia.edu/publications/dual-enrollment-effects-college-access-success.html
¹¹State of Colorado. (2025). Executive Order D 2025 010: Reimagining the Future of the Postsecondary Talent Development System in Colorado. Retrieved from https://drive.google.com/file/d/1IJTshCRBw7O65Vt6VFp1c9MzHtRfvD4D/view
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