Author: Ann Schimke

For the second time this summer, state officials ordered one of Colorado’s largest teacher preparation programs to change the way it covers reading instruction after a review found significant shortcomings. The decision, unanimously approved by the State Board of Education on Aug. 12, means Metropolitan State University of Denver will not receive the state’s full…

Colorado voters could decide this November whether to fund free preschool for 4-year-olds statewide by taxing tobacco and vaping products.  On Friday, two citizens took the first step toward putting the question on November’s ballot, filing more than a dozen possible versions with the state’s Office of Legislative Council, which reviews potential initiatives before sending…

Colorado won a $34 million federal grant intended to give more young children access to quality early childhood services. The grant will pay for a long list of projects, including updates to the state’s early childhood technology systems, improvements to the child care rating system Colorado Shines, scholarships for childcare providers seeking a common industry…

A multimillion federal grant, combined with an $11 million state match, could pump nearly $50 million into Colorado early childhood efforts over the next three years. Federal officials will announce grant awards by the end of December. One thing the birth-to-5 grants won’t do is create large numbers of new preschool and child care slots.…

A national report on the quality of city preschool programs across the country gives Denver a mediocre rating, but program leaders and the report’s authors say the 10-point checklist doesn’t tell the whole story.  The report finds that the Denver Preschool Program, a sales tax-funded initiative that offers preschool tuition assistance to all city 4-year-olds,…