The deadline for Colorado families to apply for Universal Preschool (UPK) has been extended to Feb. 24. In addition, applications have reopened for families that have already applied so that they can reevaluate their choices and make sure they select the provider that best meets their needs.
The Department of Early Childhood has chosen to reopen the application because many preschool providers did not realize they needed to list the number of available seats in each preschool category (e.g., seats available in morning half day, afternoon half day, full day, etc.). This resulted in applicants signing up for programs that may not exist. Families who signed up early may also have had fewer choices than families who submitted later, as about 150 more providers signed up to offer preschool through UPK after the application initially opened on Jan. 17.
Families that submit their preschool applications by Feb. 24 will receive an email on March 30 informing them which preschool their child matches with and what steps they should take to enroll. Applications for UPK will remain open after Feb. 24, but families that apply after this deadline will be informed of their matches at a later date. Find the application here.
