The Polis administration has announced that enrollment for the Universal Preschool (UPK) Colorado program will open on Jan. 17 for families to register their kids for preschool this fall.

“We are bringing high-quality preschool to Colorado kids, saving families thousands of dollars, and making sure Colorado students get a strong start in school,” Gov. Jared Polis said.

The program will provide 15 hours of free, voluntary preschool per week for Colorado 4-year-olds starting in 2023. Three-year-old children with qualifying factors are eligible for 10 hours of preschool programming.

Starting Jan. 17, families of children in the year before they are eligible for kindergarten, and qualifying 3-year-olds, can visit the Colorado Department of Early Childhood’s UPK Colorado site and login to begin the enrollment process, which will be open on a rolling basis. Children will begin being matched to providers in mid-February.

According to a press release, over 850 providers have signed up to participate in the state-funded, voluntary delivery preschool program to every Colorado child in the year before they are eligible to enter kindergarten. 

“It’s incredible to see hundreds of school districts and preschools registering to be a part of Colorado’s effort to prepare our kids for the future,” said Lisa Roy, the executive director ofColorado’s Department of Early Childhood. “The enthusiasm is palpable with over 29,000 openings already available for kids in Universal Preschool Colorado.”

Roy expects the number of seats to grow before the state opens up registration to families on Jan. 17.

All providers that are licensed to support preschool-aged children are able to participate in UPK Colorado. To begin the process, providers can sign up at provider.upk.colorado.gov/welcome and contact their Local Coordinating Organization for additional support in signing up. 

To learn more about the UPK Colorado program, you can go cdec.colorado.gov/colorado-universal-preschool/family-FAQ for answers to frequently asked questions.

This story is from Rocky Mountain PBS, a nonprofit public broadcaster providing community stories across Colorado over the air and online. Used by permission. For more, and to support Rocky Mountain PBS, visit rmpbs.org.