Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

Denver Preschool Program uses the Colorado Shines Quality Rating & Improvement System (QRIS) to help them improve in key areas directly tied to services for children and their families.  The Colorado Shines’ rating process assesses licensed child care and early education providers in five areas:

• Supports children’s health and safety
• Ensures staff are well-trained and effective
• Provides a supportive learning environment that teaches children new skills
• Helps parents become partners in their child’s learning
• Demonstrates good leadership and business practices

Licensed child care and early education providers in Colorado receiving a rating from the  Colorado Shines Quality Rating & Improvement System (QRIS). The rating considers five areas: children’s health and safety, staff training, the supportiveness of the learning environment, how providers partner with parents, and how well the provider utilizes leadership and business best practices. Providers then receive a rating from 1 to 5 with 5 being the top score possible. This rating is a baseline to then support providers in improving the quality of their services.

Like Denver Preschool Program, Colorado Universal Preschool utilizes the Colorado Shines Quality Rating & Improvement System (QRIS).

Denver Preschool Program provides financial support to the more than 260 licensed preschool providers we partner with to offset the cost of programming and obtaining state-approved quality ratings. Additionally, we offer early childhood educators access to professional development opportunities to help strengthen teacher-child interactions, which we believe plays an important role in the academic and social-emotional development of children.

Denver Preschool Program partners with more than 260 licensed, quality-rated preschool providers including child care homes, community-based centers, and Denver Public Schools locations. We work with these providers to improve the quality of their programming and ensure all children in Denver have the opportunity to experience the power of preschool.

No, you need to enroll your child directly with your preschool provider of choice. Denver Preschool Program is not a preschool provider. Use our Find a Denver Preschool search tool to explore your options and contact the school directly to enroll. For a step-by-step guide on how to find a preschool and apply for DPP tuition assistance, view our 7 steps to Get Tuition Assistance.

Denver Preschool Program has created a 5-step guide to assist parents and guardians in selecting the best preschool for their child. Read about how to choose a preschool.

For families experiencing economic hardship, Denver Preschool Program may cover up to 100% of your preschool tuition costs through our DPP Scholarship. 

To be eligible:  

• A household income less than $51,000 per year for a family of 4.
• You cannot receive Head Start to pay for preschool tuition.
• Your child must attend preschool at a participating DPP preschool for at least a full day (i.e. at least 5 hours per day and 25 hours per week).
• Your child is in his/her last year of preschool and lives in the City and County of Denver.

If you meet the eligibility criteria above and are already enrolled in a participating DPP preschool, please contact your school’s administrator to inquire about the DPP Scholarship. If you have questions, call us at 303-595-4DPP (4377) or email info@dpp.org to learn more.

Decades of research show that preschool promotes school success, leads to better jobs, and even prevents crime. While the benefits appear to be greatest for children who have been the most marginalized, all children regardless of their economic status. Learn more about why preschool is important and how it benefits children, their families, and their communities.

• Tuition credits are awarded on a sliding scale, which takes into account your family’s income, household size, quality rating of the chosen program, and length of day your child attends preschool.
• Denver Preschool Program’s income tiers (1 to 5 with 1 being the lowest income) are designed to assure that the lowest income, highest need families receive the highest tuition assistance while families in the other economic tiers receive a meaningful tuition credit.

During the 2022-2023 school year, the typical child received $594 per month in tuition support, with families in the lowest income tiers receiving $651 per month, on average.

Families can sign up for tuition support anytime after their child is enrolled in a participating preschool. Simply go to Get Tuition Assistance to get started.

To complete the DPP application, you will need to provide proof of:

1. Your child’s age
2. Your current address within the City and County of Denver
3. Your monthly income

No. However, if you do not, you will automatically receive the lowest tuition credit for your household size and the quality rating of your chosen preschool.

Personal information in the application that is collected includes family’s contact information, address, and income, as well as proof of child’s age and child’s gender. We also collect information about the school the child is attending and the length of day they attend. We do not collect personal information, like social security numbers or citizenship status, for any family member.

We will never sell or rent personal information to third parties for their use. We may, however, use the information we collect for Denver Preschool Program’s purposes only.

No. Denver Preschool Program enrolls students regardless of their immigration status and without discrimination on the basis of race, ethnicity, color, national origin, or religion.

Denver Preschool Program pays the preschool directly on the child’s behalf after the preschool submits its monthly attendance report. Please ask your preschool if it credits your account before or after it receives your tuition credit from DPP. Depending on the timing, you may pay in full and then receive a partial refund in the amount of your tuition credit, or you may pay the remaining balance after the tuition credit is deducted.

Generally, however, the amount of your monthly DPP tuition credit can be lowered in any given month if one or more of the following circumstances occurs:

• Your child is absent for 11 or more days.
• Your child has excessive late drop-off or early pick-ups.
• Your child enrolls in DPP after the start of the month.
• Your child leaves DPP before the end of the month.

When a child leaves a participating program for another, the tuition credits will follow. However, since tuition credits are partially determined by the preschool quality rating, if your child switches to a school with a lower or higher rating, or the school they currently attend is assigned a new rating, your tuition credit may change.

If your family moves outside of the City and County of Denver, you can no longer receive tuition support.

Yes. Qualified, faith-based providers agree to separate their religious instruction from their general curriculum so that tax dollars are not used to support religious instruction.

Yes. If you’d like to receive tuition credits from Denver Preschool Program for your child to attend a Denver Public Schools (DPS) location, please complete the DPS parent application, which is available on the DPS website or at your child’s DPS school. Denver Preschool Program application is included as part of the DPS application process.

Tuition credits are valid for one program year (September through the end of August the following year). 

Support and funding for Colorado Universal Preschool, also known as Colorado UPK, began for the 2023-2024 school year.

Colorado UPK is a newer initiative available to families statewide that began for the 2023-24 school year. Colorado UPK is primarily available to children in their year before entering kindergarten. The free, voluntary program provides preschool funding for the school year (August-June). 

For nearly two decades, DPP has been funding and expanding access to high-quality preschool for ALL 4-year-olds and many 3-year-olds in city and county Denver. Funding is available year-round and regardless of a family’s income, immigration status, or neighborhood.

Colorado UPK is funded through Colorado House Bill 22-1295 that was a result of Proposition EE, a voter-approved nicotine tax measure that passed in November 2020 for implementation starting in the fall of 2023. 

Funding through DPP is paid for by the .15 percent city sales tax, which was approved by Denver voters in 2006, renewed and extended in 2014, and permanently reauthorized in 2023.

DPP is a complement to Colorado UPK as many Denver families are eligible to receive additional hours and have their preschool needs met fully.

DPP tuition credits continue to be available to Denver families and can be layered into Colorado UPK funding to increase a family’s tuition savings.  Denver families with a 4-year-old may benefit from added DPP tuition credits if:

• Their child will be attending preschool more than 15 hours/week 
• Their child will be in preschool year-round, including summer months, as Colorado Universal Preschool does not cover preschool expenses over the summer.

Colorado’s UPK tuition support is in addition to DPP’s year-round tuition support, meaning Denver families receive more support for preschool than ever before! Colorado UPK complements DPP’s proven tuition credit and quality initiative programs. Funding from Colorado UPK and DPP can be combined to maximize preschool tuition savings for Denver families. And, with the existence of Colorado UPK, DPP is able to expand our programming to meet the needs of more 3-year-olds. This means that many Denver children will have two years of preschool funding.

Enrollment information for the 2024-2025 and 2025-2026 school years can be found on https://upk.colorado.gov/.

You will need a copy of your child’s birth certificate (PDF, digital, photocopy, etc.) to register them for Colorado UPK. For the 2024-2025 school year, your child will need to be 4 on or before October 1, 2024.  To obtain a new copy of your child’s birth certificate, visit the Colorado Department of Public Health & Environment or the Denver Department of Public Health & Environment.

You will need to provide proof of income with your application if you are applying for additional hours. Visit the state’s FAQs for a list of acceptable documents.

The legislation as passed under HB 22-1295 states the program is to provide preschool services for children in the (1) year preceding eligibility for kindergarten. Some children with qualifying factors and children with individualized education Plans (IEP) are also eligible for preschool funding through Colorado UPK for more than one year. Specifics on the age criteria for and qualifying factors can be found on the Colorado Universal Preschool website.

For the 2024-2025 school year, all Colorado children who are 4-years-old on or before October 1, 2024 (born between October 2, 2019 and October 1, 2020) are eligible for up to 15 hours of UPK programming per week. For the 2025-2026school year, all Colorado children who are 4-years-old on or before October 1, 2025 (born between October 2, 2020 and October 1, 2021) are eligible for up to 15 hours of UPK programming per week.

There is no income requirement; however, families meeting qualifying factors (including income, IEP, etc) may be eligible for up to 30 hours of preschool programming per week.

Children who are 3 (born October 2, 2020 and October 1, 2021 for the 2024-2025 school year; born October 2, 2021 and October 1, 2022 for the 2025-2026 school year) with a qualifying factor may be eligible for part-time (10 hours) UPK programming. Learn more on the CDEC’s UPK qualifying factors webpage.

Search for participating providers on the Colorado Universal Preschool website. 

Once you find a provider, you can enroll for the 2024-2025 or 2025-2026 school years at https://upk.colorado.gov/. For families wanting to take advantage of both UPK Colorado and DPP tuition credits, DPP recommends that you apply for UPK Colorado first. Once enrolled in your preschool of choice, you can then apply for DPP tuition support. Learn more about getting preschool tuition support.

Colorado UPK aims to fund up to 15 hours of preschool per week for 4-year-olds* (visit CDEC’s UPK qualifying factors webpage to learn more about qualifying for additional Colorado UPK funding). Many families–and children–need more than that. The good news is that with DPP as a complement to Colorado UPK, many Denver families are able to receive additional support and have their preschool needs met fully. Families can also choose to pay for additional hours at their preschool of choice if available.

To ensure that a UPK Colorado provider is also a DPP provider: 

• Search for Colorado UPK providers on upk.colorado.gov. Click on “browse providers” and input your criteria. 
• Once you locate providers who are participating in Colorado UPK then visit DPP’s provider search page at find.dpp.org. Input the provider you are looking for in the “search” bar located on the upper right side of the homepage. If a provider is on both UPK Colorado and DPP’s sites, it means they offer both Colorado UPK and DPP tuition credits.

• Apply for UPK Colorado at: upk.colorado.gov 
• Enroll in a participating preschool 
• Apply for DPP tuition credits online by calling 303-595-4377

Note that for families applying for DPS SchoolChoice, you will need to first apply on the DPS SchoolChoice website prior to applying for Colorado UPK.

The Colorado Department of Early Childhood (CDEC) has a dedicated Colorado Universal Preschool website for families and a Colorado Universal Preschool Family Handbook. These family resources can also be helpful in your process: 

• Denver Public Schools (DPS) School Choice Enrollment 
• UPK Colorado CDEC FAQs
• UPK Colorado Provider Search video 
• Universal Preschool and Special Education

For Denver families, DPP has a dedicated team to assist with questions about Colorado UPK.

Email denverupk@dpp.org or call (720) 221-8500 (leave a message, which we will return within 24 hours).

If your child has an Individualized Education Program (IEP), partnering with your local school district is essential in ensuring aligned resources, including Colorado UPK. School districts have the responsibility for ensuring a Free Appropriate Public Education (FAPE) in accordance with IDEA and ECEA. Learn more about Colorado Universal Preschool and special education.In the City of Denver, Denver Public Schools is your school district. 

If your child does not have an IEP, and you have concern of a potential developmental delay, visit ChildFind for information on next steps.

Providers who are currently working with DPP should visit our Current Provider page. Providers interested in becoming a DPP and/or Colorado UPK provider, visit our Become a Provider page. 

Denver preschool providers can also get more information about Colorado Universal Preschool by: 

• Subscribing  to our monthly UPK provider emails via our subscriber form
• Attending our monthly UPK LCO town halls for providers every second Thursday of the month at 12:00 p.m.

Contacting Diana Herrera, DPP’s UPK Program Manager, at diana@dpp.org or 720.287.5055 ext. 190.

Additional Colorado Universal Preschool resources for providers include: 

• Colorado UPK Provider Handbook
• Colorado UPK Family Handbook
• CDEC Website- Provider Information
• Colorado Universal Preschool Newsletter Sign Up
• Universal Preschool Feedback Form

Colorado Universal Preschool complements DPP’s long history and success of ensuring more children have access to high-quality preschool. Supporting Colorado’s state UPK is consistent with our mission and the intention of voters who three times passed the Denver Preschool Tax. 

With Colorado UPK and DPP, many Denver families may receive full tuition support for their 4-year-old for preschool as DPP funds can be layered onto funding like Colorado UPK, Head Start, and CCCAP. DPP is now able to expand our funding and impact to reach younger children, including those who are most marginalized.

Colorado Universal Preschool is not considered part of public charge, so all families, regardless of immigration status, can receive access to both UPK Colorado funds as well as DPP tuition credits.

DPP has nearly two decades of experience in providing preschool funding to the community. We are committed to adapting and evolving to meet the changing needs of families to ensure our young children are prepared for kindergarten. DPP applied to become Denver’s UPK Local Coordinating Organization (LCO) for Colorado Universal Preschool to help build on our longstanding success and streamline UPK processes for Denver families and preschool providers as much as possible. We also welcome the opportunity to share our leadership and learnings.

As the Denver LCO for Colorado Universal Preschool, DPP is deepening our partnership with key early childhood education organizations like Denver’s Early Childhood Council, Denver Human Services, The Mayor’s Office of Children’s Affairs, Denver Public Schools, family resource centers, and several providers to support our collective goal that Colorado UPK benefits our entire community as equitably as possible.

DPP is uncompromising in our commitment to lead collaboratively, which means we “work alongside others to champion, innovate and strengthen early childhood education.” Just as we’ve done from the start, we will strive to ensure our learnings and insights impact the entire state. We will continue to advocate for additional funding for early childhood education in our community, support policies and funding that impact the workforce of educators and their livelihood, and welcome the opportunity to share our leadership and learnings.

Learn about DPP’s impact and the importance of preschool.