School Readiness

House Bill 19-1262 requires each local board of education that is not offering a full-day kindergarten educational program as of the 2019-20 school year to submit a plan addressing how it could phase in a full-day kindergarten educational program.

The submission of these plans will allow us to assess the needs across the state and the level of implementation that will be necessary. It is important to note that HB 19-1262 does not require districts to offer full-day kindergarten, nor does it prohibit districts from offering a half-day program. Furthermore, children are not required to attend full-day kindergarten if offered. It also prohibits districts from charging tuition for full-day kindergarten. House Bill 19-1262 provides funding for full-day kindergarten should districts choose to offer it. This funding begins with the 2019-20 school year.

House Bill 19-1055 provides $25 million in formula-based grants for the purpose of acquiring furniture, fixtures, or equipment needed to conduct full-day kindergarten or preschool educational programs.

CDE has created an Implementation Survey and Formula-Based Grant Application for each district to complete. By completing this survey, districts will complete the required reporting to CDE on district plans for implementing full-day kindergarten, districts can apply for the formula-based grant through HB 19-1055, and this will enable COE to assess the implementation needs across the state. 

CDE designed the survey to be as simple as possible as we know this is a very busy time of year for districts. We are asking that the district superintendent or your designee complete and submit the survey by close of business on Wednesday, June 12th.

• Link to: Full-Day Kindergarten Formula Based Grant Funding for FFE
• Link to: Full-Day Kindergarten Letter to Superintendents 

HB 19-1262 also makes changes to the Early Childhood At-Risk Enhancement (ECARE) Program which provides funding for 9,200 Colorado Preschool Program (CPP) positions that until now have been able to be used to fund half-day preschool, combined for full-day preschool or to provide full-day kindergarten. Currently, over 5,100 ECARE positions have been used for full-day kindergarten; these positions will now be used to provide preschool for additional at-risk preschoolers. In April, your CPP district contact received information about this change. Districts that are currently using ECARE positions for kindergarten will need to submit a plan as a part of their CPP Annual Report for the use of these positions in preschool and/or notify CDE if they will tum back any ECARE positions to be reallocated to other districts with capacity to expand their preschool offerings. Districts that have not utilized ECARE positions In kindergarten are able to make a request for the positions turned back by other districts through the addendum to the CPP Annual Report due May 17th. The review and reallocation of any returned ECARE positions will occur based on the plans submitted through the annual CPP reporting process and will allow CDE to ensure that all ECARE positions can be fully utilized to serve as many at-risk preschoolers as possible in programs this coming fall.

For questions regarding CPP and ECARE, please contact Heidi Mccaslin at 303.866.6720 or McCaslin_H@cde.state.co.us
For questions regarding funding, please contact Tim Kahle at 303.866.6818 or Kahle_T@cde.state.co.us