Transition Reports

To read the full report, click on the image to the left.

Colorado has a decades-long commitment to improving the early care and education experiences of young children and families. In June 2021, HB21-1304 established the state Department of Early Childhood (DEC) and required the creation of a Transition Plan to be presented to the Early Childhood Leadership Commission (ECLC), the Governor, and the Joint Budget Committee of the Colorado General Assembly. This Transition Plan is the culmination of months of work by stakeholders, the Transition Advisory Group (TAG), Subgroups, and the Transition Working Group (TWG). A second report with recommendations on the new statewide universal, voluntary preschool program will be presented to the ECLC on January 1, 2022, and will be submitted to the legislature no later than January 15, 2022.

DEC has an opportunity to change the way families and children interact with government systems. The unification of early childhood programs and services under one governing structure meets families and children where they are, offering them a single place where they can gain access to all aspects of the early childhood system. While these recommendations will require state support, if they are fully funded and implemented, the community envisions a future in which all Colorado children, families, and early childhood professionals are valued, healthy, and thriving. 

Read the Department of Early Childhood Transition Plan Executive Summary in English, Español, or عربى.
 

To read the full report, click on the image to the left.

Colorado has a decades-long commitment to the early care and development of its youngest children. This dedication was recently underscored by the enormous will for early childhood investment and reform when a bipartisan majority of voters supported funding for high-quality, 4 year old universal preschool in a mixed delivery system with the passage of Proposition EE in 2020. This new voluntary preschool program will build upon the successes of Colorado’s existing early childhood programs, including the Colorado Preschool Program (CPP), to offer every child in Colorado access to funded early care and education services the year before they enter kindergarten.

This exciting development will have a long lasting impact in Colorado. The research is clear: children who attend a high quality preschool in the first few years of life are more likely to experience higher levels of educational attainment and less likely to experience poverty or enter the criminal justice system. By investing in early childhood and universal preschool, Colorado aims to break the cycle of poverty in the long term, while also immediately creating an accessible and streamlined system that alleviates the burdens of families and children.

The magnitude of this vision, and the importance of ensuring, not just access, but quality of care provided, requires the state work urgently toward achieving this goal of building a birth to 5+ system that is accessible, affordable, and valuable for children and families over the next several years. Through the creation of universal preschool, Colorado also has an unprecedented opportunity to leverage the newly created Department of Early Childhood (DEC) to improve the quality and availability of early childhood programs and services for all young children, including infants and toddlers.

While the universal, voluntary preschool program will launch in July 2023, fully implementing these recommendations and addressing challenges in the entire early care and education system must be a process of continual and urgent innovation, engagement, and adaptation.

This report sets a bold vision, and the implementation and details will evolve over time as DEC is established and more engagement occurs. The infrastructure investment this report suggests will create a system to support Colorado’s families for generations to come. This report is a first step in making this innovative and ambitious universal preschool program a reality and provides Colorado with guidance on the infrastructure needed to implement a comprehensive, family-focused, universal preschool program model at this pivotal moment.

The establishment of universal preschool is an incredible opportunity for children, families, and providers that must be capitalized upon. This program will not only expand access for 4 year olds but can serve as a catalyst to transform Colorado’s entire early childhood system.

Read the Universal Preschool Recommendations Executive Summary in English, Español, or عربى.