Colorado would establish a stand-alone state department dedicated to early childhood programs and start developing a plan for universal free preschool in 2023 under a bill introduced Wednesday.
Gov. Jared Polis, who has made preschool one of his top priorities, announced the initiative at a press conference flanked by Democratic legislative leaders and longtime early childhood advocates, including Anna Jo Haynes, whose name will grace the legislation.
Polis made offering full-day kindergarten and universal preschool a centerpiece of his 2018 campaign for governor. Lawmakers approved full-day kindergarten in 2019, but finding the money for preschool proved more challenging.
A major expansion of publicly funded preschool in Colorado is possible because voters approved a new nicotine tax in 2020 through Proposition EE. Starting in 2023, money from the tax will be used to make a minimum of 10 hours a week of preschool available to all Colorado children in the year before they enter k
Erica Meltzer / Chalkbeat
Colorado would establish a stand-alone state department dedicated to early childhood programs and start developing a plan for universal free preschool in 2023 under a bill introduced Wednesday.
Gov. Jared Polis, who has made preschool one of his top priorities, announced the initiative at a press conference flanked by Democratic legislative leaders and longtime early childhood advocates, including Anna Jo Haynes, whose name will grace the legislation.
Polis made offering full-day kindergarten and universal preschool a centerpiece of his 2018 campaign for governor. Lawmakers approved full-day kindergarten in 2019, but finding the money for preschool proved more challenging.
A major expansion of publicly funded preschool in Colorado is possible because voters approved a new nicotine tax in 2020 through Proposition EE. Starting in 2023, money from the tax will be used to make a minimum of 10 hours a week of preschool available to all Colorado children in th
It came as some surprise for us to learn just how important early education is to a childâs life, especially for kids in low-income households, which are abundant in Mesa County.
Thereâs a growing body of evidence that preschool makes a huge difference in the lives of all children, not just at-risk children. Kids who get preschool graduate at a higher rate, earn more money as adults, save more, are unemployed less and sentenced to incarceration less often than kids who donât.
The state with some of the strongest data in this realm is Oklahoma, which fully pays for preschool for any 4-year-old whose parents want it. One enterprising Oklahoma lawmaker who believed in the promise of universal preschool (based on studies such as The Perry Preschool Project) essentially tricked the state legislature into passing his bill to provide an extra year of public schooling.
Colorado could get a new stand-alone state agency dedicated to early childhood programs if lawmakers act on a recommendation approved Tuesday by a state advisory group.
Colorado could get a new stand-alone state agency dedicated to early childhood programs if lawmakers act on a recommendation approved Tuesday by a state advisory group.Â
The idea is to consolidate programs and services for children birth to 5 and their families in a single cabinet-level department. Currently, early childhood programs are spread among multiple state agencies, including the Department of Education, the Department of Human Services, the Department of Public Health and Environment, and the Department of Health Care Policy and Financing.
While the new agency is not a sure thing since lawmakers must pass legislation to create it, Tuesdayâs vote was a momentous one for the stateâs early childhood advocates. A new early childhood agency would elevate the stature of issues affecting Coloradoâs youngest children and â if all goes as planned â reduce red tape and regulatory conflicts for families and child care providers.Â