Maria Guerra is excited to enroll her two daughters, who will be 3 and 4 in the fall, in preschool in St. Vrain Valley through Colorado’s new Universal Preschool program.
Guerra, who lives in Mead, said her oldest is eager to learn, while her younger daughter was an early talker. She also wants both, as native Spanish speakers learning some English at home, to gain more English skills so they can become bilingual. Then there are the benefits of learning social skills and school routines.
“I want to get them into preschool so they get used to the routine of school and learn more and get socialized,” she said.
She attended a St. Vrain Valley preschool open house Tuesday to see if there’s an option to enroll both her daughters in the same school. As a dual language learner, her 3-year-old likely qualifies for free part-time preschool under the new program. But whether there are spots at their closest school or will need to go to Longmont is something she won’t know until after the state matches her with a school.
The voluntary universal preschool program, established in a new state law approved in April, will provide up to 15 hours of free preschool for 4-year-olds in the fall — as long as they turn 4 by Oct. 1. Children with certain qualifying factors may have the cost of additional hours covered, while families whose children don’t qualify can pay the cost for more time. Three-year-olds with certain qualifying factors also can receive up to 10 hours of free preschool.
The application portal opened Tuesday at upk.colorado.gov.
St. Vrain Valley offered preschool open houses at two locations Tuesday, one at the Innovation Center in Longmont and the other at Spark! Discovery Preschool in Frederick. At the Innovation Center, district translators and family liaisons helped parents go through the online application and answered questions.
“We’re all working really hard to figure the new system out,” said Shela Blankinship, St. Vran Valley’s early childhood coordinator. “Today has been very successful.”
Families encountered a few glitches on opening day, including some participating schools — Soaring Heights in Erie was one — initially not being listed on the application. Those looking to enroll 3-year-olds also couldn’t choose specific schools through the application, only the school district, leading to some confusion.
Families have until Feb. 14 to apply to be included in the first batch of acceptances. Priority is given to those who already attend a preschool program — allowing for continuity of care — or have a sibling already at a school. But applications aren’t prioritized based on when they’re submitted in that time period.
The state plans to match families with preschool programs around Feb. 17, sending the matches to the school district or private preschool. Once approved, the placement then goes to the family for final approval, around March 10. The final step is completing registration with the school district or preschool program.
In the Boulder Valley School District, about 600 families filled out a preschool interest form. Tuesday, the district offered both in-person appointments and virtual help, with most going the virtual route. Those manning the help desk said the state’s online application generally worked well for families of 4-year-olds, but the process was less clear for 3-year-olds.
Both school districts are expecting increased demand for preschool under the new program.
Boulder Valley is restructuring its offerings to better work with the universal preschool rules. The district is offering a full school day of preschool on either Mondays and Thursdays or Tuesdays and Fridays, giving families two days totaling 15 tuition-free hours a week.
Fifteen schools — up from five providing extended preschool care this school year — will offer an additional two full days of tuition-based enrichment and an afternoon enrichment class on Wednesdays. Eleven schools will offer two days of preschool, but no enrichment.
St. Vrain’s preschool offerings are largely staying the same. Most schools now offer a half-day option, with some full-day options available at certain locations. Six sites offer longer hours with “wraparound” services for working parents.
In response to parent requests for full-time care, Blankinship said, the district added two new full-day preschool sites this fall and is adding two more next fall. The new state rules also allow the district to increase its student-to-teacher ratio from 16-to-1 to up to 20-to-1, giving the district the capacity to serve additional students, she said.
“My goal every year is to fill all our spots,” she said. “We will do everything we can to meet the demand.”
