Press Release

Heather Craiglow, Head Start State Collaboration Director with Colorado Department of Early Childhood (CDEC), has been selected to participate in the 2026 National Association of State Leaders in Early Education Leadership Academy (NASLEE), a competitive national program designed to strengthen state early education leadership. Craiglow is one of nine state-level early education leaders nationwide chosen to participate in the 10-month leadership development program, which focuses on advancing effective early learning programs and policies at the state level.

With the first round of the Universal Preschool application process ending on February 2, 2026, the Colorado Department of Early Childhood (CDEC) is reminding families to complete their applications for the 2026–27 program year.

Colorado’s Universal Preschool program saw unprecedented family engagement during the opening of enrollment for the 2026–27 program year, setting new records for application submissions, system traffic, and user participation since the program launched in 2023.

After serving more than 87,000 Colorado children since launching in 2023, Colorado families can apply for the 2026-27 Universal Preschool Program, starting today, December 9, 2025. This exciting opportunity offers up to 15 hours of tuition-free, high-quality preschool for all children in the year before kindergarten, with additional hours available for qualifying families.

The Colorado Department of Early Childhood (CDEC) released findings from a legislatively required, independent evaluation of its first three years of operation, offering Coloradans a transparent look at the Department’s early progress, accomplishments, and opportunities for growth.

The Colorado Department of Early Childhood (CDEC) released its final report on the impact of the Preschool Development Grant Birth Through Five (PDG B-5) Initiative.

The 10th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals upheld a federal district court’s decision denying a permanent injunction in St. Mary’s Catholic Parish v. Roy. The decision marks a significant victory for Colorado families, ensuring continued access to free preschool across the state for all.

The Prenatal-to-3 Policy Impact Center's 2025 State Policy Roadmap shows Colorado leading the country in early-childhood resource availability for working parents.

A new independent evaluation from the Colorado Evaluation & Action Lab at the University of Denver, Imagination Library of Colorado: Effects on Kindergarten Readiness and Skills, finds that the Imagination Library of Colorado (ILCO) is helping prepare children for kindergarten by significantly improving early literacy skills.

The Colorado Department of Early Childhood (CDEC) today announced that its Executive Director, Dr. Lisa Roy, has been appointed to the Education Commission of the States (ECS) Steering Committee for the 2025-27 term. This prestigious appointment elevates Colorado’s early childhood sector, providing vital representation at a national level.