About Universal Pre-K
Click the icon to visit the new Colorado Department of Early Childhood website for more information. Sign up below to receive CDEC notifications below.
UPK PROVIDER FAQS
This FAQ page is for early childhood programs interested in providing Universal Preschool for families. Click the icon to learn more.
FAMILY FAQs
This FAQ page is a resource for families. Click the icon to learn more. If you still don't see what you need, please contact us! We're here to help!
UPK NEWS + LINKS
UPK APPLICATION FOR FAMILIES
UPK Colorado applications are OPEN. Universal Preschool (UPK) Colorado allows families to choose the right setting for their child, whether it is in a licensed community-based, school-based or home-based preschool setting. Families of children in the year before they are eligible for kindergarten, and qualifying 3-year-olds, are able to apply for UPK Colorado for the 2023-24 school year. Here are links to more information:
- Colorado Department of Education Website
- UPK CO Family One Pager from CDEC (English)
- UPK CO Family One Pager from CDEC (Spanish Version)
- Universal Pre-K for Families (LCO)
- UPK Hours Eligibility
- 1.13.23 UPK Colorado – Family Application Demo (loom.com)
- 1.13.23 UPK Colorado – Provider Search Demo (loom.com)
This School District IT Staff + UPK Staff Meeting Slide Deck was created for a statewide School District Meeting and has information on the matching process on the UPK State Registration Website.
Application Matching: For families to have their application matched in the first round, the submission deadline is February 14. This is NOT a first-come, first-served system. No matching will begin until February 15, and all families submitting applications for 4-year-olds will be matched in the first round. Here are the details of the matching timeline and specific dates below:
- February 10: The state requests that providers confirm the number of UPK seats in their profile.
- February 14: Providers make any last-minute changes to their profiles. Families submit applications to be included in the first round of matching
- February 15: First round of matches are run by the state and are sent to providers
- February 16-March 16: Providers will review their matches and decline when needed. Families who are declined by a provider will go back into the pool to be matched again.
- March 17-March 31: Families are notified of their match and will be asked to accept or decline their match.
UPK REGISTRATION for PROGRAMS
State UPK Application System
Early childhood programs can participate in Universal Preschool (UPK) Colorado once they have registered and created a profile with the UPK Colorado application system available at Provider.UPK.Colorado.gov. Providers will need to be licensed to provide services for preschoolers and must sign a Provider Participation Agreement at a date to be determined.
Additional links to help with the application process:
- FAQs
- Rates
- Sample Provider Agreement (Document linked is for information purposes only.)
- Provider Agreement Information Sheet
- UPK Program Service Terms & Conditions
- UPK Information Flyer for Providers
- Recorded tutorial on the provider registration workflow from the UPK Colorado application site, from submitting a registration form to filling out a provider profile.
- You can also download this UPK Colorado Provider Guide (registration steps begin on page 23)
Once your registration and profile have been completed, your LCO will send you a Provider Agreement to sign through the system. After entering your digital signature, you will then be able to manage your provider profile. This profile is how you will be displayed to families as they are searching and applying for the UPK Colorado Program for the 2023-2024 school year.
- Resource to support providers in learning about the true cost of child care and managing finances, including revenue, monthly costs, and profit-and-loss calculations. Learn more HERE.
cdec updates + rules Info
updates
universal pre-k rules
RULES ADVISORY COUNCIL MEETING
Visit the CDEC Rules Advisory Council page to learn more. As part of the authentic, iterative process of building the rule for UPK rates, the Colorado Department of Early Childhood received stakeholder input indicating further adjustments are necessary to ensure it is in full alignment with HB22-1295. The rescheduled Rules Advisory Council (RAC) meeting, was held on November 17th to discuss the proposed rule recommendations below. All materials from the meeting are available on the CDEC website HERE.
- Colorado Child Care Assistance Program Federal Poverty Guidelines & State Median Income
- Universal Preschool Program Eligibility
- Additional Eligibility Preschool Services & Rate Setting
PUBLIC RULEMAKING HEARING
A public Rulemaking Hearing was held on November 21st to promulgate the proposed rules below. All materials from the hearing are available on the CDEC website HERE.
- Colorado Child Care Assistance Program Federal Poverty Guidelines & State Median Income
- Universal Preschool Program Eligibility
- Additional Eligibility Preschool Services & Rate Setting
- Dawn Odean, Director of Universal Preschool, CDEC, and Michael Cooke, Transition Director, Governor’s Office, provided an overview of the proposed rules.
- Maegan Lokteff presented recommendations from the RAC.
- Public comment.
- Final rule adoption by Dr. Lisa Roy, CDEC Executive Director.
If you are interested in following or in engaging in the public rulemaking meetings for Universal Pre-K, SIGN UP HERE. Rule updates are provided below.
2023-24 Part-Time Rate (10 hours): $4,735.40
Colorado State Average: $4,833.63
2023-34 Half-Day Rate (15 hours): $5,917.35
Colorado State Average: $6,039.58
2023-24 Additional Hours Rate (15 hours): $4,552.54
Colorado State Average: $4,606.43
2023-34 Full-Day Rate (30 hours): $10,469.89
Colorado State Average: $10,646.01
RULE UPDATES
September 30, 2022: Under the advisement of CDEC’s Rules Advisory Council (RAC), Dr. Lisa Roy has announced the rules that would allow a child to receive additional hours of care in the Colorado Universal Preschool Program. Three- and four-year-olds who meet one or more of the following criteria will be eligible for additional hours:
- A child who lives in a low-income household (270% of the 2023 Federal Poverty Guidelines)
- A child who is a dual language learner and the native language spoken in the child’s home is a language other than English, or the child’s native language is not English
- A child who has an Individualized Education Plan (IEP)
- A child who is currently in a foster care home or in non-certified kinship care
- A child who is identified as homeless
Details on the number of hours will be determined this fall. The above rules apply to eligible four-year-olds, three-year-olds, and children younger than three in a district with a waiver to serve children under three-years-old.
Planning, Info + Input Process
Planning sessions, input/info sessions, and a special Town Hall were key to developing the LCO Community Plan! To revisit any of the notes, feedback, or recordings, see the links below.
LCO Meetings, Agendas + Handouts
- Community Meeting 1 | Agenda | Minutes
- Community Meeting 2 | Agenda | Minutes
- Community Meeting 3 | Agenda | Key Processes + Current Feedback
- Advisory Committee Meeting | Notes
- Community Meeting 4 | Feedback Notes
- Community Plan Draft Review
INFORMATION SESSION + INPUT SESSIONS
- UPK and LCO Info Session Q+A
- LCO presentation with Notes
- UPK Input Session: Owners + Administrators | Notes 9.22
- UPK Input Session: Teachers, Teacher’s Assistants + Caregivers | Notes 9.22
- UPK Input Session: Family Child Care Providers | Notes 9.22
- UPK Input Session: Families | Notes 10.5
UPK TOWN HALL
This Town Hall provided an opportunity for our early childhood community of programs, professionals, and families with young children to learn and ask questions about the Colorado Universal Pre-K (UPK) Program that will begin with the 2023-24 school year. Topics included UPK/Local Coordinating Organization facts, eligibility, rate setting, and provider agreements.