Universal Pre-K

Every child in the year before they are eligible for kindergarten is eligible for up to half-day (15 hours) of state-funded, voluntary preschool to support their preschool enrollment for the 2023-24 school year. Providers may choose to offer 10-hour programs. Three-year-olds who are low income or have qualifying factors are eligible for part-time (10 hours) of preschool programming.

Families of children in the year before they are eligible for kindergarten who are low income AND have one other qualifying factor, are eligible for an additional 15 hours stacked on top of the half-day programming, pending eligibility confirmation and available funding.

No, you can apply for many types of programs. Your options include part-time, half-day, and full-day. Half-day (15 hours) of that program will go toward your total cost of care.

For example, if you are eligible for half-day, but need full-day care, the half-day portion is covered by Universal Preschool Colorado and the additional hours could be paid through Head Start, local funding, CCCAP or parent pay. Check with your provider to determine that amount, or review their rates on their application page.

If you are applying for a preschool program at a school, you may need to be a resident in that district.

For example, you may not be accepted into a school-based program near your place of work as the school may need you to be a resident in that location.

Proof of date of birth and residency will be collected as part of the registration process with the provider with whom you are matched.

You will need to provide proof of income with your application if you are applying for additional hours.

Certain families may need to provide a waiver for specific school districts in Denver and Canyon City if enrolling a child under 3. The LCO of these districts can support these families.

Documents that will be accepted to showing household income include:

• Jobs: Paycheck stub or pay envelope that shows the amount and how often pay is received; letter from employer stating gross wages and how often you are paid (this statement of earnings form may be used); or, if you work for yourself, business or farming papers, such as ledger or tax books.
• Social Security, Pensions, or Retirement: Social Security retirement benefit letter, statement of benefits received, or pension award notice.
• Unemployment, Disability, or Worker’s Compensation: Notice of eligibility from State employment security office, check stub, or letter from the Worker’s Compensation office.
• TANF Payments: Benefit letter from the State TANF office.
• Child Support or Alimony: Court decree, agreement, or copies of checks received.
• All Other Income (Such as Rental Income): Information that shows the amount of the income, name of the person who received the income, the date it was received, and how often it was received. 
• Military Housing Privatization Initiative: Letter or rental contract showing that your housing is part of the Military Privatized Housing Initiative. 

If you do not have income, please send a brief note explaining how you provide food, clothing, and housing for your household, and when you expect an income.

For Universal Preschool Colorado, the definition of homelessness is having a primary nighttime residence that is a public or private place not designed for or ordinarily used as a regular sleeping accommodation for human beings; living in cars, parks, public spaces, abandoned buildings, substandard housing, bus or train stations, or similar settings; or, is a child who is migratory who qualifies as homeless for the purposes of this subtitle because the child is living in circumstances described in this definition.

While searching for providers, families can filter for special accommodations. Providers are required to list what they are able to support. This includes things such as dietary restrictions, routine medication, language and physical supports, and a variety of other needs.

Please contact your school district to ensure IEP resource alignment.

We want to offer families a wide range of options for their providers. However, we will still have certain limitations for school-based providers. Families applying for a school-based provider may need to be a resident of that district.

You can submit an application anytime. Applications are processed in rounds. This allows us to provide an equal opportunity for applicants to access providers of their choice.

Click on the link below to view a video that explains the matching process.
English | En Español

If you need to edit your application for any reason, please contact your local coordinating organization (LCO).

If your child was born between October 2, 2018 and October 1, 2019, they are eligible for the up to 15 hours available to 4-year-olds. If your child was born between October 2, 2019 and October 1, 2020, and is low income or meets certain qualifying criteria, they are eligible for the 10 hours available to 3-year-olds.

In the state of Colorado, preschool and kindergarten are voluntary and therefore families have the right to defer enrollment in both based on their child’s needs. The Universal Preschool Colorado program is funded through the legislature to cover services for four-year-old children in the year before they are eligible for kindergarten and qualifying three-year-olds only. If your child will be 5 on October 1, 2023, they are not eligible for free preschool through UPK.

While your child may still enroll in preschool, their attendance is not funded by Universal Preschool Colorado. Families with children that will be five on October 1, 2023 that wish to send their child to preschool in the 2023-2024 school year should contact their desired providers directly to inquire about enrollment outside of Universal Preschool Colorado.

Three-year-olds are eligible for Universal Preschool Colorado if they meet at least one of the following criteria:

• Their family income is below the federal poverty line
• They have an active Individual Education Program (IEP)
• They have limited English proficiency
• They are in foster care or kinship care
• They are experiencing homelessness

If you have indicated that your child meets one or more of these criteria in your application and are still receiving a status of ineligible, please contact your local coordinating organization (LCO). They can help you edit your application or explore qualifying criteria.

You can always start a family application to see the questions and workflow before you submit it.

The family income threshold is below 270% the Federal Poverty level, based upon your household’s gross annual income. Currently, the income thresholds by household size are:

• 1 – $36,693.00
• 2 – $49,437.00
• 3 – $62,181.00
• 4 – $74,925.00
• 5 – $87,669.00
• 6 – $100,413.00
• 7 – $113,157.00
• 8 – $125,901.00
• 9 – $130,620.96
• 10 – $135,340.92
• 11 – $140,060.88
• 12 – $144,780.84

If you do not see the provider you are looking for, please contact the provider directly. There are several reasons why the provider may not be visible yet. Universal Preschool Colorado is a voluntary program; if your preferred provider is not registered with Universal Preschool Colorado, we encourage you to ask them to join!

The last question on the application asks if your applicant child currently attends one of the providers that you chose and ranked. When you answer yes to this question, you will be prompted to select the provider where your child currently attends. This will be noted on your child’s application and taken into consideration when matched to an open seat.

Yes, you can note that your child has a sibling with a provider that you have selected. We will take this into account to keep families and siblings together where possible.

Our system will do its best to match you to your most preferred provider(s). If you are matched with a provider that no longer meets your needs, you will be able to reject that match. You may need to resubmit your application if you reject the match, depending on when the rejection is completed.

If you do not qualify for Universal Preschool Colorado, please contact your preferred provider directly for information on how to enroll in their preschool program. This application is only for students requesting free preschool through Universal Preschool Colorado.