Governor Polis Applauds Senate for Passing Top Administration Priority: Free Universal Preschool to Help Save Colorado Families Money

Tuesday, April 12, 2022

Universal Preschool will Save Families on average $4,300 per year, bill would implement Department of Early Childhood 

DENVER — Today, Governor Polis released a statement following the passage of HB22-1295, the Department of Early Childhood and Universal Preschool legislation, sponsored by Senator Janet Buckner, President Steve Fenberg, Representative Emily Sirota, and Speaker Alec Garnett through the Senate on second reading. Governor Polis has championed Universal Preschool since day one.

“Preschool is too expensive, forcing many families to choose between paying for housing or providing a quality education for their kids. As a parent, I want to make sure every Colorado child has access to the education they deserve, which is why preschool has been a priority of my administration since day one,” said Governor Polis. “I want to thank the sponsors for this bold legislation, which will help hardworking families save on average $4,300 per year, providing economic freedom and giving parents peace of mind.”

Universal Preschool will be available to all Colorado families in the year before kindergarten. Providing high-quality, accessible preschool builds upon the Polis Administration’s nation-leading support for early childhood education, including free full-day kindergarten which was passed in 2019. Families across the state were having to choose between sending their child to kindergarten or saving for the future, and some families simply couldn’t afford it. Governor Polis worked with Republican and Democratic legislators to pass this historic legislation helping Colorado families. This didn’t just open up opportunities for kindergarteners, but also expanded access to preschool slots. 

Last year, Governor Polis, in partnership with the General Assembly, signed a bill to provides for nearly $400 million in federal and state funding to provide support for new and existing early childhood providers, including grants for employer-based providers and recruitment, retention and salary grants to providers, to help weather the pandemic and increase access to high-quality early childhood programming for more children. Gov. Polis also signed a bill that expands child care access in family child care homes by aligning local regulations, specifically by requiring family child care homes to be classified as residences for local zoning, land use, fire and life safety, and building code regulations.

This vote follows bipartisan votes from the House of Representatives on March 25th, Senate Education Committee on March 31st, and the Senate Appropriations Committee on April 8th. 

The bill would implement the Department of Early Childhood which will help to streamline existing early childhood programs and support the implementation of this critical program for families.