On January 17, 2023 your child care program can assist you (if they are participating as a UPK provider). YOU get to choose where you want your child to go to preschool and nothing says it has to be through a school district. You can avoid placing your child in that system until Kindergarten and in many cases until 1st grade. Talk to your existing provider about what they have to offer! Your child must be 4 by October 1, 2023 to qualify.
The link to enroll from is here: https://upk.colorado.gov (not active until 8 a.m. on 1/17/23).
When you put your family information into the system you will receive the opportunity to rank your selections. If you only want your existing program, only select that program.
Your program will accept the "match" to you and then you will receive a notice to confirm your selection around the beginning of March. If you do not confirm, you will have to go through the selection process again. Didn't get the right match? Talk to your provider and they will connect you to your LCO for assistance in getting this fixed.
If your household income is below the following amount in the chart, your family is eligible for 30 hours of free preschool:
Here's where you can find answers directly from the state: https://cdec.colorado.gov/colorado-universal-preschool/family-FAQ
Thank you for all these resources. They are really helping me navigate UPK. We have received nothing from our LCO.