Colorado Department of Early Childhood
With the first two rounds of Universal Preschool (UPK) Colorado complete, 27,457 families have accepted their provider matches and their children will attend the state-funded high-quality, voluntary mixed-delivery preschool program this fall.
Between the first two rounds, 90.7 percent of children were matched to any of their chosen providers and 78.6 percent of families were matched to their first choice.
“We are excited that over 90 percent of families are matched with a high-quality provider, saving families over $164 million across the state. As universal preschool in Colorado welcomes the first class of students this fall, we are ensuring the youngest Coloradans have a strong start while putting money back into the pockets of hardworking families, and we encourage anyone who has not yet signed up to do so today at UPK.Colorado.gov,” said Gov. Jared Polis.
There are seats available in every county in the state and families can still apply to participate. Archuleta County has 26 remaining seats available out of 60 total seats.
Families that participate in UPK Colorado save $6,000 per year on average, equating to roughly $164.7 million in savings that families around Colorado will be able to put toward everyday use.
Families that declined their match in the first or second rounds are still able to submit new program choices and repeat the matching process. Coloradans can also work directly with their local coordinating organization, which can help families find a program where there are current openings available.
Families seeking to participate in UPK Colorado that have not yet applied can continue to sign up and make provider rankings for their child. Two additional rounds of matching are planned for the summer. Enrollment will continue on a rolling basis, so families can log in to UPK.Colorado.Gov to find a provider in their area. There is no deadline to sign up.
Free universal preschool is estimated to save families thousands of dollars every year and will put Colorado’s youngest learners on the path to success. There are 1,930 providers to date that have chosen to participate in this program that will help save families money.
