Special Education Directors' Corner

What's New

New Process for Verification of UPK Provider

In recognition of changes in staffing availability over the summer months, and a need for a simplified process to ensure preschool students with IEPs are enrolled in UPK programs in alignment with their IEPs, CDE and the Colorado Department of Early Childhood have developed the following updated agreements.  The purpose of this process is to ensure alignment between the UPK placement of preschoolers and the student’s IEP. This method may be used starting now, until further notice, and while longer-term solutions are being developed.

For Students with Active IEPs, Districts, and AUs may:

1. For AUs that are not registered UPK providers, consider entering a short-term DSA with CDEC. CDEC will work to have a Data Sharing Agreement template available for AUs to sign as soon as possible.
2. AU’s send a list to CDEC of all preschool children who are not currently matched in alignment with the student’s IEP or students whose families have not yet applied for services through the BridgeCare system through a secured data sharing platform of their choice. Be sure to include: the first and last name of the student, the student's date of birth, the full name of the school where the child should be placed, and the program type (part-time, half-day, full-day).
3. CDEC will directly place the student in the correct program in alignment with the child’s IEP outside of the deferred acceptance algorithm (DAA).
4. When the parent-requested placement is different than the IEP team placement, the AU will communicate directly with the family about the need to place the child in accordance with the IEP team’s decision. 
5. AUs should send an updated list to CDEC on an ongoing basis.

For students identified for special education services and placed during summer months:

1. IEP teams identify children for eligibility and, when appropriate, place the child.
2. Support families to apply for services through BridgeCare, in alignment with the student’s IEP.
3. AUs should include these newly identified students on the list that need direct placement by CDEC. (See number 2 above).
4. CDEC will directly place the student in the program in alignment with the child’s IEP outside of the deferred acceptance algorithm (DAA).

For consultation and support of direct placement of students with IEPs (outside the UPK BridgeCare deferred acceptance algorithm), please contact:

Michael Cooke, Early Childhood Transition Director
303-906-7636 and m.michael.cooke@state.co.us

Or

Dawn Odean, Director Universal Preschool

Colorado Department of Early Childhood

Cell Phone 720.483.5505 and dawn.odean@state.co.us    

General questions about preschool special education or this process, reach out to Heidi White at white_h@cde.state.co.us and 303-501-0837.

Special Education Services Under the New UPK System

CDE will begin offering bi-monthly meetings beginning Tuesday, February 7^th to share information regarding special education services under the new UPK system.  These meetings will occur at 2:00 PM on the first and third Tuesday of each month.  We will be working closely with the Consortium to determine what information you need and what questions you want us to address.  CDE is inviting representatives from CDEC to sit in on the meetings.

We look forward to meeting and partnering with you moving forward. 

All Meetings will be held from 2 pm – 3 pm and can be accessed by selecting the date below.

FAQ on Special Education and UPK Released

Frequently asked questions (FAQ) about special education and universal preschool have been released by CDE. The FAQ was developed in response to questions from the field related to preschool special education and universal preschool (UPK). The Colorado Department of Education (CDE) is responsible for administering special education, while the Colorado Department of Early Childhood (CDEC) is responsible for administering UPK. Answers were developed by CDE with consultation from CDEC.

Additionally, CDE Standards for Placement of Preschoolers with IEPS in Educational Programs has been released. These standards were identified by the Colorado Department of Education based on state and federal special education law, rules, and include supportive resources to assist with implementation.

Please share these documents with others in your system, as appropriate. We anticipate that additional questions and answers will be added to this CDE webpage over time.

Questions may be directed to the Early Childhood Special Education team, or Heidi White, Preschool Director, at white_h@cde.state.co.us.