UPK NEWS, events + resources
JI has a NEW page for families! Please direct families to Jointinitiatives.org/UPKfamilies if they need information or assistance.
🌐 VISIT THE NEW FAMILY UPK PAGE HERE.
The page you are on has been revised and tailored to meet the needs of UPK providers. If you have suggestions as to anything that is missing, please contact us HERE, so that we may include that information for you.
The UPK Provider Handbook is Your Friend!
The UPK Provider Handbook is kept up to date by CDEC and can always be found HERE. If you have a question, the provider handbook is a great place to start!
2024-25 upk school year information
Direct enrollment will continue through the rest of the UPK year. The pages below are from the updated UPK Provider Handbook HERE. Please scroll through or see the full handbook. If you unenroll a child, you will be able to look at children who are in selected status with you and call to see if they are interested. However, direct enrollment is ideally set up to make the enrollment process as seamless as possible when you have a family who comes in to tour with you and decides to register. If a family needs to complete an application, you can help them do that right in front of you! As always, if you need more seats open, please reach out to Noreen at nglt@mac.com. You cannot offer a seat that you don’t have in the UPK system.
2024-25 UPK PROVIDER PAYMENT SCHEDULE + RATES
The payment schedule for UPK providers is available HERE. Payment issues must be addressed to Metrix IQ as we cannot address those. As soon as you know that you have a payment issue, please send an email to coupkpayments@metrixiq.com. If you have a routine question about payments or need to set up your account with Metrix, you can open up a ticket HERE.
The rates for JI for this year are as follows:
- Part-Day Rate: $4,806.51
- Half-Day Rate: $6,060.38
- Full-Day Rate: 10,762.40
The payment schedule for UPK providers is available HERE.
FAMILIES CAN STILL APPLY FOR THE 2024-25 SCHOOL YEAR THROUGH MAY OF 2025
All families with eligible children (the year before kindergarten) may register at upk.colorado.gov. All families must complete a new registration for the 2024-25 UPK year. If you have ANY questions about registering, have trouble logging in, or need to make changes at any point, please contact UPK@jointinitiatives.org. Please be sure to complete ONLY ONE application per eligible child. If the family registered as a 3-year-old, they may use the same login created for Year One and then will choose that they are registering for the 2024-25 year.
changes to 2024-25 applications
Families who need to make changes in their 2024-25 application must contact UPK@jointinitiatives.org so the application can be unlocked. Any family who is having an issue with accepting or declining a match should reach out to UPK@jointinitiatives.org for assistance.
2025-26 UPK SCHOOL YEAR INFORMATION
2025-26 UPK Calendar can be viewed HERE.
2025-26 UPK REGISTRATION FOR PROVIDERS
UPK Registration for providers has started and is ongoing. If you are not currently a UPK provider but wish to become one, please reach out to Noreen (nglt@mac.com or at 719-338-7223) to get more information about the registration process.
2025-26 UPK REGISTRATION FOR FAMILIES
2025-26 Family Registration is opening on December 17!
The 2025-26 UPK family application will OPEN on December 17. Priority enrollment (those who are continuity of care, have siblings at your center, or are a child of an employee) will take place between December 17 and February 3. Families must apply by that time to receive priority placement (if confirmed by the provider).
- February 10, 2025: The first open matching round will occur, with matches going to providers to review on February 12.
- March 10, 2025: The second matching round will occur, with matches going to providers to review on March 12.
- April 1, 2025: Direct enrollment for the 2025-26 year will begin.
Please see the UPK calendar linked above for more information about specific dates.
UPK expenditure reporting
The 2023-24 Expenditure Reporting is due on December 20, 2024. The quarterly expenditure reporting for August through November 2024 and December 2024 through February 2025 is due on March 30, 2025. Q3 reporting (March through May 2025) is due on June 30, 2025. For more information, see the resources and upcoming office hours.
- Expenditure Memo
- Expenditure Reporting FAQ
- Expenditure Reporting Guidance Slides
- Expenditure reporting Template and Tools
Upcoming Provider Office Hours
The three sessions below will address questions that come in around anything providers need more information on. We will collect questions and answers and build an FAQ document. Please submit provider questions to this form before each meeting.
- Wednesday, December 4: 6:00 – 7:00 pm | Meeting link: us02web.zoom.us/j/85387909554
- Monday, December 9: 6:00 – 7:00 pm | Meeting link: us02web.zoom.us/j/86545299253
- Monday, December 16: 6:00 – 7:00 pm | Meeting link: us02web.zoom.us/j/86162078691
For the recordings of Office Hours from November 26th, click HERE.
Still need additional assistance?
Please contact Noreen Landis-Tyson at nglt@mac.com or call 719-338-7223.
Roundtables for Early Childhood Providers
Joint Initiatives offers Roundtables to keep early childhood providers informed about guidance from the Colorado Department of Education (CDEC), provide time for Q+A, and provide expert business consultation and training. Roundtables will be held monthly via a one-hour Zoom session. Roundtables for previous months are in the Resources section at the bottom of the page. You can also access all Roundtable videos for centers, family child care, and school districts on JI’s YouTube channel HERE.
The Zoom link is HERE for joining the Roundtable, and the passcode is UPK if needed. While we will do state updates, this will be an opportunity for you to ask questions and clarify information.
▶ November-December Roundtable Slides HERE
▶ November-December Roundtable Video Recording
▶ UPK October Roundtable Slides
▶ October Roundtable Recording HERE
▶UPK September Roundtable Slides
This section contains past UPK Newsletters and UPK Updates. Updates contain information shared by Noreen Landis-Tyson in direct emails, and we are posting it here. Additional past newsletters are in our Resources section below.
marketing
your program
Keep your profile up to date!
JI’s webinar/roundtable to support providers in setting up their profiles to attract as many families as possible is now available. If you need one-on-one assistance to address any points covered in the presentation, please contact Noreen at nglt@mac.com or 719-338-7223.
▶View Marketing Training Presentation Slides HERE
There is also a section in the Provider Handbook on Marketing your program that begins on page 49. You can find the Provider Handbook HERE.
UPK FLYERS AVAILABLE:
JI has created flyers that can be used to hand out to parents. You can download the flyer HERE (in English and Spanish) and print copies as needed. If you would like copies delivered to your program for your use, please contact us at UPK@jointinitiatives.org and we will deliver them to you.
RESOURCES +
SUPPORT
▶ Visit the CDEC UPK web page HERE.
For Families
- 2024-25 UPK Family Handbook
- 719.630.0927 (press 4 for UPK assistance in English; press 5 for Spanish)
- Heather Mayheu: 719.684.4326
- Karla Rivera-Ramirez, (English + Español): 719.960.7336
- Need additional support? Contact the JI UPK staff at UPK@jointinitiatives.org
For Providers
- 2024-25 UPK Provider Guide
- Program Setup Form Guide HERE
- 2024-2025 UPK Provider Agreement
- Need help determining what programs and seats you would like to offer? Contact the JI UPK staff at UPK@jointinitiatives.org or Noreen at nglt@mac.com.
- Need additional support? Contact the JI UPK staff at UPK@jointinitiatives.org or Noreen at nglt@mac.com.
For Partners
- Universal Preschool 101 for Partners Presentation Slides
- Universal Preschool 101 for Partners Recording
ROUNDTABLES + NEWSLETTERS
All Roundtable videos for centers, family child care, and school districts are available for viewing on JI’s YouTube channel HERE.
Read past newsletters here:
upk quality standards
DRAFT QUALITY STANDARDS
The Colorado Department of Early Childhood (CDEC) has released the Universal Preschool (UPK) Colorado Quality Standards designed to ensure that preschool services are both high quality to prepare children for kindergarten and accessible throughout the state across various provider types and program settings, including school-based, community-based, and home-based settings. The proposed UPK Quality Standards reflect statutory requirements, incorporate findings from comprehensive reviews of 26 national and Colorado-specific standards, and include input and feedback from Families, Providers, School Districts, Early Childhood Councils, and Early Childhood Community Members.
To recap, the Rules Advisory Council (RAC) met on February 8, 2024, and voted in favor of the Department promulgating the proposed Colorado Universal Preschool Program (UPK) Quality Standards rules with suggested revisions from the RAC. These revisions included: 1) removing the ratios and groups sizes from rule section 4.109(A)(2), to align with the ratios and group sizes established in the Child Care Licensing rules; and 2) revising the professional development requirements to more closely align with the number of required hours and competency areas of the Child Care Licensing rules, and amend the frequency of one-time trainings in rule section 4.114. The recommendation for revisions to the professional development requirements were more of a concept rather than proposed rule language.
On March 28, 2024, the Executive Director adopted the proposed Quality Standards rules (Adopted Redline | Adopted Clean) for the Colorado Universal Preschool Program (UPK). The adopted UPK Quality Standards rules will presumably become effective on May 30, 2024.
- Complete Rule Folder
- Quality Standards Crosswalks (previously released in Spring 2023)