She wanted to give back to the community that had supported her, so she started working for the city in the parks and recreation department.
[4] After experiencing discrimination because of her Latina and Native American heritage, her interracial marriage, and her multiracial children, she got involved with Congress of Racial Equality.
[6] In addition to educating, Haynes has been involved in nonprofit administration and has developed or sat on boards for many organizations in Colorado.
She was the executive director, and is still founder and President Emeritus, of Mile High Early Learning Centers, which were incorporated in 1972.
[10] Haynes was appointed to the Congressional Caucus for Women’s Issues by Congresswoman Patricia Schoeder, and served as an advisory member of the White House Conference on Children and Youth.
[1] In 2022, Governor Jared Polis signed a bill establishing a new Department of Early Childhood with free pre-school for all 4-year-olds in Colorado.
[11] Mile High United Way created an award named for her, the “Anna Jo Haynes Caring about Kids Award.”[1] Metropolitan State University of Denver created the Anna Jo Garcia Haynes Legacy Project to promote advocacy of early childhood education.