We occasionally check in with our colleagues at Chalkbeat Colorado about the latest education stories they're following. This time, Senior Reporter Ann Schimke joined us to discuss how things are going for the state’s new pre-Kprogram.
19,000 Colorado families have been successfully matched with preschools through the state’s universal pre-K program so far. A second round of applications is making its way through the system, with an anticipated 15,000 more applications from families to be processed. They'll find out on June 1 what preschool the state has matched them with, and they'll have one week to accept or decline their matches.
Schimke told KUNC preschool supply and demand discrepancies are creating issues for some families who apply.
“On paper, the state has lots of preschool feeds for all the families who might want one," Schimke said. “The issue is, those seats aren't always in the right place in terms of where the families are or want their preschool program.”
Conveniently-located providers might not offer schedules and services that work for some families, particularly in rural areas.
Schimke said universal preschool in Colorado has garnered a great deal of interest, but parents have a lot of questions. She said families will be able to apply throughout the summer, and some might be eligible for extra tuition-free hours of preschool.
“The base number of hours is about 15 a week. But families whose children have certain risk factors, they would get 30 hours a week,” Schimke said. “For example, if the family is a lower income household, if the student is an English learner, has special needs, is in foster care, if the family is experiencing homelessness—those all qualify a child for those 30 hours a week.”
Families who may not qualify for the additional tuition-free hours can also pay out-of-pocket for extra hours at their provider’s regular per-hour rate.