April 22, 2025 (Article), In tough budget year, raises for Colorado child care workers win continued support from lawmakers
With the stimulus money set to run out in June, the program’s future was uncertain. But state officials told Chalkbeat on Tuesday that Colorado lawmakers found $2.9 million to keep the program going for another year. The money is included in the state’s budget, called the “long bill,” which won final approval Monday from the legislature. Gov. Jared Polis hasn’t signed the bill yet.
April 10, 2025 (Article), Colorado delays rules aimed at ensuring high-quality preschool – again
The latest delay, which won initial approval Thursday from a state advisory committee, represents the third time the rules have been postponed and means new requirements on class size, curriculum, and teacher training won’t start phasing in until July 2026. That’s three years after the program’s 2023 launch and nearly six years after Colorado voters approved a nicotine tax to help fund universal preschool.
April 9, 2025 (Article), Colorado lawmakers reject bill on child care chains backed by private equity.
Child care chains backed by private equity investment firms won’t be subject to new limits intended to protect parents or workers, after a Colorado bill died in the state Senate this week.
March 31, 2025 (Article), The 2025 School Finance Act: How we can increase school funding in a $1.2 billion budget shortfall
Colorado legislators, leaders and educators worked together across the aisle in 2024 to make two landmark improvements to how Colorado funds education and supports Colorado kids.
March 11, 2025 (Article), Colorado parents could get refunds on child care waitlist fees under advancing bill
Colorado parents may soon be able to recover some of the waitlist or application fees they’ve paid to child care programs if their children don’t land a spot within six months.
March 5, 2025 (Article), Universal preschool bill dies as some Colorado preschool programs still complain of bumps
Colorado’s $344 million universal preschool program is popular among families, but some providers say they’re still wrestling with problems that make it hard for families to secure seats or for preschools to sustain themselves financially.
February 28, 2025 (Article), As Colorado budget committee works to prevent further cuts to early childhood services, families share their stories
An abrupt announcement by state officials that services for babies and toddlers with disabilities will be slashed starting next week drew condemnation Thursday from the state Capitol’s powerful joint budget committee. At the same time, they signaled a desire to find money to reverse some of the cuts.
February 27, 2025 (Article), Colorado lawmakers seek to reverse planned cuts to therapies for children with delays.
While the details are still up in the air, lawmakers on the Joint Budget Committee essentially pledged to find funding to prevent thousands of young children who get services through the state’s Early Intervention program from losing certain therapies starting in March.
February 26, 2025 (Article), Cuts to Colorado Early Intervention Program threaten therapies for young children with disabilities.
Speech therapy, physical therapy, or other services for some Colorado babies and toddlers with developmental delays could be pared back in less than a week as officials grapple with a $4 million funding shortfall in the state’s Early Intervention program
February 18, 2025 (Article), Colorado lawmakers advance bill that would put guardrails on private equity-backed child care chains
Colorado parents and teachers would get 60 days’ notice about staff layoffs or enrollment changes if their child care centers are acquired by chains backed by private equity firms.
February 14, 2025 (Article), As private equity invests in child care, Colorado lawmakers seek guardrails
Some early childhood experts have recently sounded the alarm about the growing footprint of private equity in the child care space. They worry that such investment firms are primarily motivated by outsized profits, not providing quality experiences for young children. But others say private equity-backed child care is already providing many desperately needed seats and that its deep pockets can help a fragile industry during a challenging time.
February 12, 2025 (Article), Eagle Child Care Center Achieves Colorado’s highest Ranking.
February 6, 2025 (Article), Some Head Start programs still can’t access federal funds a week after Trump freeze memo rescinded.
At least 57 Head Start programs around the country serving more than 21,000 children still couldn’t access federal funding as of Thursday morning, according to leaders from the National Head Start Association.
February 6, 2025 (Article), Sales tax proposed to fund childcare support from Aspen to Parachute.
The Confluence Early Childhood Education Coalition made a case to the Aspen School Board for the 0.25% sales tax increase from Aspen to Parachute to quell the lack of affordability and capacity of childcare.
January 31, 2025 (Article), Colorado parents, this new state tax credit could net you thousands of dollars.
A new state tax credit worth thousands of dollars is now available to many Colorado families with children under 17.
January 5, 2025 (Article), Head Start finances early childhood programs for many Eagle County families, but leaves some out.
For low-income families with infants, toddlers and preschoolers, Head Start programs run through the Eagle County School District offer an option to receive both education and additional wraparound support services. But some Eagle County families that might benefit from the program are not eligible.
December 16, 2024 (Article) Colorado Parents: Here’s what to know about signing up for free preschool for 2025.
Colorado families can start applying for the state’s free preschool program for the 2025-26 school year on Tuesday at noon.
December 13, 2024 (Article) Here’s how Colorado’s doing in bid to meet key early childhood goals.
Colorado leaders want to boost enrollment in the state’s already popular universal preschool program, mint more highly rated child care programs, and create more seats for infants and toddlers — the age group hit hardest by child care shortages.
October 21, 2024 (Article) Low income families are struggling to get care aid in many states. Here’s why.
That’s because Colorado’s child care subsidy program, which helps low-income families pay for child care so they can work or attend school, is facing a major budget crunch.
October 10, 2024 (Article) After decision in Catholic preschool lawsuit, Colorado moves to repeal religious preschool rule.
Religious preschools that participate in Colorado’s state-funded preschool program are allowed to reserve seats for members of their congregations. But that may soon change.
September 19, 2024 (Article) Inside Colorado’s high-stakes preschool lawsuit pitting religious liberty against LGBTQ rights.
A federal judge largely ruled in the state’s favor in June. But the preschools are now appealing — and the case could wind up before the U.S. Supreme Court.
September 5, 2024 (Article) They were babies and toddlers when the pandemic hit. At school, some still struggle.
More of Colorado’s pandemic babies and toddlers are showing up with developmental delays than their counterparts born just a few years before.
July 3, 2024 (Article) Catholic preschools to appeal ruling in Colorado universal preschool case
Two Catholic preschools will appeal a June federal court ruling that would prevent them from barring children from LGBTQ families if they choose to participate in Colorado’s state-funded preschool program.
July 3, 2024 (Article) Judge dismisses universal preschool lawsuit brought by Colorado school districts
A Denver district court judge on Wednesday dismissed a lawsuit brought by several Colorado school districts over the state’s universal preschool program, ruling that the plaintiffs don’t have legal grounds to sue.
June 5, 2024 (Article) Judge issues ruling in Catholic lawsuit over Colorado universal preschool program
A federal judge rejected most of the claims made by two Colorado Catholic preschools that sued the state of Colorado over its universal preschool program.
May 23, 2024 (Article) In search of funding for child care, 2 Colorado regions pursue special taxing districts
Colorado already has lots of special districts that levy taxes for things like fire protection, water sanitation, and libraries. But what about for early childhood programs?
May 13, 2024 (Article) Outdoor preschools could soon get state licenses in Colorado, unlocking public dollars
Outdoor classrooms give young children the chance to move freely, learn about the natural world, and assess risks and solve problems in a way indoor classrooms don’t allow. They say licensing will open the programs to a wider swath of families by unlocking public dollars available through Colorado’s universal preschool and child care subsidy programs.
May 10, 2024 (Article) The Education bills that passed (and failed) in the 2024 Colorado legislative session.
What education bills passed and which bills failed during the 2024 Colorado legislation. This article will get you up to date on all the hard work during the legislative session, and will answer question you may have.
May 3, 2024 (Article) Preschool is popular, and more Colorado school districts are adding it.
Generally, experts say adding preschool in public schools is a good thing, expanding options for families, aligning preschool learning to what’s taught in higher grades, and easing the transition for incoming kindergartners.
May 3, 2024 (Article) How will Colorado’s new funding formula affect rural districts? It depends.
Most districts would get more funding but a few others — including a handful of rural districts — would get less money over time, compared to the current formula
The state changed its rules in late September, allowing preschool providers to enroll ‘walk-ins’ more quickly than before.
Childcare fund proposed to county commissioners,
[Stacy Petty], the director of the Rocky Mountain Early Childhood Council and a participant in the coalition, said that while many parents opt to send their children to unlicensed providers, there are many benefits to choosing one with a license. “Anyone who’s licensed has been background checked and fingerprinted, so there’s a level of safety there,” [Petty] said. “When you’re working with a licensed care provider, they have met some educational
requirements as well.”
Moving forward as a society depends on children developing to their full potential, and the science of early childhood development can help us figure out the best ways to make this happen. In this video, learn about three “science by design” principles we’ve identified that community leaders, policymakers, and practitioners can use as a guiding star for designing better programs, practices, and services for children and families—ones that will help them thrive. Learn more about the Science X Design principles—and how to apply them—at https://developingchild.harvard.edu/i…
