The Mayor's Office for Education and Children is committed to helping families of Denver ensure that every child grows up with all the strength, knowledge and skills necessary to be successful in an information-based economy and to be good neighbors and citizens of Denver. The office advocates for the children and youth of Denver, serves as the City's liaison to the Denver Public Schools, and helps develop policies and initiatives to help every child in the City grow up confident, strong, smart and skillful. The office respects the delegation of duties to school districts under the Colorado State Constitution and has concentrated its efforts outside that delegation on:

• Early childhood care and education and school readiness;
• Literacy and student achievement;
• Before and after school programs;
• Career preparation;
• Health, safety, and other child and youth services;and
• Cooperation between the School District and the City.

The office has created numerous City educational programs and partnerships with the Denver Public Schools, including:

• Lights On After School Initiative - a partnership between the City, the Denver Public Schools Foundation and Mile High United Way, working to leverage resources to increase financial resources, coordinate with community programs, and expand public awareness for after-school programs.
• Mile High Scholars program that recognizes students in each grade for overall excellence;
• Denver Head Start program began in 1998 and is an early childhood care and education partnership with community agencies;
• The 5 BY 5 Project - aims to provide the City's children with five cultural experiences before they reach the age of five.

In 1999, the Commission on Youth and the Office of Child Care Initiatives, formerly units of the Mayor's Office of Human Rights and Community Relations, were transferred to the Mayor's Office for Education and Children. The Mayor’s goal was to combine many City efforts focused on issues related to education, children and youth in one office.