Universal preschool is one big step closer to becoming a reality in Colorado after the state House of Representatives approved House Bill 1295 on Friday, sending it to the state Senate for consideration.

If enacted, the bill would establish the long-promised universal preschool program and a new Department of Early Childhood in Colorado. Under the bill, the program would begin in 2023, providing 10 hours per week of free preschool for all children the year before they enter kindergarten.

“Universal preschool in Colorado is not far off,” said House Speaker Alec Garnett, D-Denver, who is sponsoring the bill. “We’ve heard from families in all four corners of our state, they want more early childhood options and we’re making it happen.”

The House passed the bill in a 43-19 vote, with only Republican representatives in opposition. The vote came after several hours of debate on Wednesday, Thursday and Friday – including Cañon City Republican Rep. Ron Hanks spending more than 30 minutes reading aloud portions of the nearly 500-page bill to delay the vote.

Republicans introduced half a dozen amendments to the bill that all failed, including efforts to restrict data collection for children eligible for the program, limit the powers of the department’s executive director and remove the social and emotional learning education practice from the program.

Another proposed amendment attempted to push implementation of the preschool program back a full year, with the amendment sponsors saying the state should wait to see if House Bill 1064 passes. That measure would ban the sale of some flavored tobacco products, influencing the program’s tobacco tax funding stream.

“We’re going to create a department, hundreds of millions of dollars that’s supposed to ride on the back of a funding stream that you’re trying to take away and minimize,” said Rep. Richard Holtorf, R-Akron. “Where I’m from, that doesn’t make a whole lot of sense.”

The universal preschool program and Department of Early Childhood would cost over $365 million through 2024, according to state estimates. More than $190 million would come from taxes on tobacco and nicotine products passed by Colorado voters in 2020. Another $127 million would come from the state’s general fund or education fund.

The bill sponsors said it would not make sense to delay HB-1295 over a bill that is still going through the legislative process and has already undergone numerous changes.

HB-1295 comes after legislation passed in 2021 and 2022 to create and fund the Department of Early Childhood, as well as to create a transition plan and recommendations for universal preschool.

“This work has paid off because beginning in 2023, every four-year-old in Colorado will be able to access high quality, free preschool,” said bill sponsor Rep. Emily Sirota, D-Denver. “Early childhood education is one of the best tools we have for preparing our kids to thrive.”

The universal preschool program would save Colorado parents an average of $4,300 per year in child care costs, according to state estimates. Under the bill, parents may choose a preschool provider themselves within their community.

The Department of Early Childhood would seek to boost access to early education by creating a “one stop shop” of state services.

Currently, early childhood programs are spread across multiple agencies with different eligibility requirements and funding streams, making it difficult for families to navigate, supporters say. Under the bill, the programs would be consolidated under the new Department of Early Childhood to streamline the system and create a single application for all early childhood programs.