Get Tuition Assistance

Your child must be 4 years old on or before October 1 of the application school year. The application year must be the child’s last year of preschool before attending kindergarten. When you apply, you must provide documentation verifying your child’s age, such as a birth certificate.

Denver Preschool Program provides tuition support to children who are older than 4 and not yet in kindergarten. If your child is in their last year of preschool and does not meet the 4-year-old age requirement, written acknowledgment signed by the parent and the preschool Director/Principal is required.

Use this chart to determine eligibility for when your child can start receiving tuition support based on their birthdate:

Through our Preschool for 3s Program, we aim to equitably expand access to quality preschool for a limited number of children who turn three by October 1. This program complements our traditional tuition credit for 4-year-olds. To qualify, a 3-year-old must be enrolled with a licensed community provider and not participate in a Head Start program, which is already subsidized.

Enrollment in the Denver Preschool Program is open to all families living in the City and County of Denver. When you apply, you must provide documentation of family residency at a valid Denver address, such as a utility bill. A valid Denver address is defined as an address within the City and County of Denver that can be found on the www.denvergov.org website.

To be eligible for Denver Preschool Program (DPP) tuition credits, you must be enrolled in a DPP provider program. To determine if your preschool participates in DPP, visit our find a preschool search tool and verify the program’s participation. If your program is not listed, please email us at info@dpp.org. We would be happy to reach out to the provider and tell them about the benefits of signing up to be a DPP preschool partner.

ALL Denver families, regardless of income, are eligible for Denver Preschool Program tuition support. Tuition credits are distributed on a sliding scale based on household income, household size, the length of the day a child attends preschool, and the quality rating of the preschool program. You can use our Tuition Credit Calculator to see how much tuition credit your family may be eligible for.

Submittal of income verification is optional; if you choose not to provide verification of income, you will automatically receive the minimum level of financial assistance from Denver Preschool Program.

When you apply, if income is reported, verification of one month’s (4 consecutive weeks) gross income is required for at least one parent/guardian reporting income in the DPP application. If more than one month’s income is submitted, the most recent documents are used for the calculations. You may also complete and sign a DPP Income Affidavit instead. To request an Income Affidavit please email info@dpp.org.

Learn more about the calculator.

Depending on your family’s income, you may be eligible for additional preschool tuition support from Denver Preschool Program. This support would be in addition to standard DPP tuition credits and could cover up to 100% of your preschool costs.

To be eligible for this additional support, your child must be:

• Eligible/approved for standard Denver Preschool Program tuition credits
• Enrolled as a full- or extended-day student at a community-site preschool

And, your family must: 

• Make less than $51,000 per year for a family of 4
• Not be receiving other public funds (Head Start, CPP/ECARE or CCCAP)

If your child and your family meet these requirements, your child may be eligible for additional funding from the Denver Preschool Program! For more information, please view this page, call 303.595.4377 or email info@dpp.org.

Find a preschool that best meets your needs. Visit our Find a Preschool tool and search by address, neighborhood, mode of transportation or other factors to find the best fit for your child.

Both Denver Preschool Program and Colorado Universal Preschool utilize the Colorado Shines Quality Rating & Improvement System (QRIS). Under this rating system, licensed child care and early education providers are assessed in five areas, then given a composite score from 1 to 5 with 5 being the best. This score creates a foundation from which early childhood care and education providers can improve the quality of the services. When choosing a school that’s right for your child, you should consider their quality rating but also know that any provider working with Denver Preschool Program is receiving ongoing support to improve the quality of their program.

Technical Assistance Note:
Can’t find your school?
Email us at info@dpp.org for more information. For assistance in Spanish with finding a preschool and applying for DPP tuition credits, contact Briana Gonzales, DPP Bilingual-Spanish Preschool Navigator, at enroll@dpp.org.

Please visit Denver Public Schools’ website for information and dates related to DPS enrollment and the school choice process.

We recommend you contact your preschool of choice about how to enroll. If you still have questions, email us at info@dpp.org for more information. 

Simply fill out our online application or download one of the PDFs (Amharic, Arabic, Burmese, Chinese/Mandarin, French, English, Nepali, Russian, Somali, Spanish, and Vietnamese) and submit your application for Denver Preschool Program support today. 

Mail, fax, or email your completed application and any supporting documents to:
Denver Preschool Program
P.O. Box 40037
Denver, CO 80204-0037
Fax: 303-295-1750
Email: application@dpp.org

Technical Assistance Note:
Need help with your DPP application?
Call Denver Preschool Program at (303) 595-4377 or email info@dpp.org.

For assistance in Spanish with finding a preschool and applying for DPP tuition credits, contact Briana Gonzales, DPP Bilingual-Spanish Preschool Navigator, at enroll@dpp.org