Walking Alongside Teen Moms in Foster Care
Bold Steps provides peer support, community roundtables, and safe ranch housing for pregnant and parenting teens in Colorado's foster care system — because no young mom should navigate this alone.
What We Do
Three Ways We Show Up for Teen Moms
Teen moms in Colorado's foster care system face homelessness, isolation, and a system not built for them. Bold Steps responds with peer support rooted in lived experience, community workshops, and a path to safe, stable housing.
Peer Support Specialist Program
Certified peer support specialists — people who have lived through foster care themselves — walk alongside teen moms through appointments, parenting challenges, and daily life. Support that comes from true understanding.
Workshops & School Groups
Hands-on workshops in parenting, cooking, budgeting, GED prep, and healthy boundaries — held in our community and at schools upon request. Childcare is always provided so every mom can show up and learn.
Ranch Housing
Colorado's first faith-based ranch home for teen moms and their babies — keeping mothers and children together with equine therapy, life-skills education, peer support, and 24/7 care. Breaking ground 2026.
Coming 2026
Our Impact
Real Support. Real Community. Real Change.
Bold Steps has served over 300 teen parents and their children through events, roundtables, and peer connections. Every interaction provides more than resources — it provides the experience of being seen and known.
300+ teen parents reached through community events and programming
Peer support specialists with lived foster care experience on the front lines
Ranch housing campaign underway — Colorado's first of its kind
Partner network across Denver metro foster care agencies and schools
Program Details
A Closer Look at Each Program
Every program is designed with one goal — meeting teen moms exactly where they are, with support that's personal, practical, and rooted in lived experience.
Peer Support Specialist Program
Our peer support specialists aren't just trained — they've lived it. Each specialist has personal experience navigating foster care, helping them connect with teen moms in a way no textbook can teach.
Certified specialists — with lived foster care experience
One-on-one support — through appointments, court dates, and everyday challenges
Trauma-informed — approach built on compassion, not judgment
Faith-rooted — support that honors each teen mom's dignity and potential
Workshops & School Groups
We bring life-skills education directly to teen moms — through community workshops and, at their request, on-site groups at partner schools. Topics are practical, relevant, and taught in a safe, encouraging environment.
Parenting, cooking & budgeting — hands-on workshops with real-life application
GED prep & college readiness — partnered with Aurora Community College
Healthy boundaries & relationships — foundational skills for breaking generational cycles
Childcare always provided — so every mom can attend and focus fully
School partnerships — we go to them — groups and workshops held on-site at schools upon request
Ranch Housing
Right now, teen moms in Colorado's foster care system are being separated from their newborns — not because anyone wants that, but because there is no place built to keep them together. Bold Steps is building that place.
15 teen moms and their babies — housed together at a time — no separation
Equine therapy & working ranch — healing through land, animals, and purposeful work
24/7 peer support staffing — always someone on-site who truly understands
No cost to participants — state funding covers housing for foster youth
$4.5M capital campaign underway. We're seeking Legacy Ranch Partners — land donors and capital investors — to make this a reality.
Learn about Legacy Ranch Partnership →Legacy Ranch Partnership
The land shapes the person.
You have the power to shape both.
Bold Steps is building Colorado's first faith-based residential ranch community for parenting teen foster youth — a place where young mothers and their babies stay together, grow together, and build a future together.
We are looking for Legacy Ranch Partners: men and women who understand the value of land, the weight of legacy, and the power of investing in something that outlasts them.
The Problem
Teen moms in foster care are being separated from their newborns.
Not because anyone wants to separate them — but because there is no place built to keep them together. Bold Steps exists to change that. Not with a program. With a home.
Teen moms in foster care are 7× more likely to lose custody
Half of children born to mothers in care enter the system before age two
Without intervention, the cycle continues for generations
A Two-Generational Impact
Every girl we house is a life transformed. Every baby who grows up with a stable, supported mother is a generation redirected.
We are not just changing one life. We are redirecting the trajectory of an entire family line.
One mother. One baby. One generation at a time.
Our goal: Break ground in 2026. House our first girls in 2027.
How to Partner
Two ways to become a Legacy Ranch Partner
Donate the Land
We are seeking 10 or more contiguous acres of Colorado land donated by one family or two neighboring families, located within 90 minutes of a major medical center.
“Your name will be on the gate arch that every girl drives through on the day her life changes. That is not a metaphor. That is a legacy.”
$4.5M Campaign
3–4 year pledge timeline · drawn at build milestones
$3.5M for land acquisition and full build · $1M for year one operating reserve
What You Receive as a Legacy Ranch Partner
Your name on the property, gate arch, building dedication, or brick recognition wall
Invitation to the groundbreaking ceremony and founding dinner
Annual impact report showing exactly what your investment is doing every year
Prayed for by name at Bold Steps board gatherings — woven into this organization forever
Ranch Roundtables
Hear the full story. Ask every question.
Ranch Roundtables are intimate gatherings hosted across Colorado where you can hear the full story, meet Heather, ask every question, and decide if this is the legacy investment you have been looking for.
Heather Heacox · 720-513-4202 · heather@boldstepsco.com
About the Founder
Built by Someone Who's Been There
Bold Steps was founded by Heather Heacox, who grew up in foster care and experienced homelessness, abuse, and teen parenthood firsthand.
That lived experience is what makes Bold Steps different. Heather doesn't just understand the statistics — she's lived them. And she's building the organization she wished existed when she was a teen mom in the system.
Today, Bold Steps is a faith-driven nonprofit serving the Denver metro area, with a vision to expand statewide and build Colorado's first ranch-style housing for teen moms in foster care.
Get Involved
There's a Place for You Here
Whether you're a teen mom needing support, someone ready to serve as a peer specialist, a school wanting workshops, or a landowner or investor ready to make history — Bold Steps has a way for you to step in.
I'm a Teen Mom
If you're a pregnant or parenting teen in foster care (ages 14–25), we're here for you. Get connected to a peer support specialist, attend a workshop, and find a community that truly understands.
Reach out to us →Become a Peer Specialist
Have lived experience in foster care? You may be exactly who a teen mom needs. We're recruiting and training certified peer support specialists to walk alongside our participants.
Apply to serve →Partner School
We come to you. Bold Steps will hold on-site workshops and support groups at your school upon request — at no cost. Connect teen moms in your building to real, practical help.
Request a workshop →Legacy Ranch Partner
Own land or looking for a legacy investment? Join our $4.5M capital campaign to build Colorado's first faith-based ranch home for teen moms. Attend a Ranch Roundtable near you.
Learn more →Make a General Donation
Every gift — large or small — funds workshops, peer support training, community events, and our ranch housing vision. All donations are tax-deductible.
Contact Us
Let's Talk
Whether you're a teen mom looking for help, a volunteer ready to serve, or a donor who wants to make an impact — we'd love to hear from you.
FAQ
Here are answers to the most common questions we get from young moms, volunteers, and supporters.
Pregnant and parenting teens in foster care, ages 14–25, are our primary participants. We also welcome volunteers, mentors, and donors from the community.
Yes. Our approach is rooted in Christian faith, compassion, and respect, but we serve all young moms regardless of background.
You can become a mentor, volunteer for workshops, donate, or join our advisory or fundraising boards. Email boldsteps@boldstepsco.com to get started!
We are actively seeking donated land in a Colorado mountain community within 90 minutes of a major medical center. Our goal is to break ground in 2026. Until then, we offer peer support, workshops, and community events.
Reach out via our contact form or email boldsteps@boldstepsco.com. We’ll guide you through the application, training, and background check process.