As parents, we have to give our little ones the best start ever on their academic journey. Best Preschools in USA has much to do with laying down a strong foundation for their education and social development. Colorado's Universal Preschool Program provides up to 15 hours a week of free, high-quality preschool education to children eligible to enter kindergarten the following year. This article will help parents by guiding them on eligibility criteria for UPK. It will also provide an insight into other different factors wherein they may qualify their children for additional hours.
Eligibility under Basic Guidelines:
Universal Pre-K eligibility is mainly based on the child's age and how close that child is to starting kindergarten. Usually, children can apply to UPK the year prior to starting kindergarten. Important to know, though, is that a targeted number of districts around the state offer 3-year-old programs and allow children's parents to apply well over a year prior to entering kindergarten. To take advantage of such opportunities, parents should make contact with their local school district about preschool services.
Special Education Considerations:
Children eligible for special education, as determined by their Individualized Education Program (IEP), are part of the Universal Preschool Program. Special Education Administrative Units (AUs) and school districts place preschool-aged children based on their IEP throughout the school year to meet every child's needs.
Additional Hours and Qualifying Factors:
Families are eligible for up to 15 additional hours per week over and above that, depending on the identified qualifying characteristics, some families become eligible for more. Those qualifying characteristics include low-income, homeless, linguistically diverse, student in special education, and foster care or non-certified kinship care. These need further exploration.
Low-Income Status:
Income is the major qualification criterion, which states that the household income should not be more than 270% of the federal poverty guidelines. For determination purposes, parents calculate their total combined pre-tax income of all household members in any given period for 12 months. The income sources include wages, salaries, self-employment, Social Security benefits, pensions, retirement income, welfare, and other sources.
Homelessness:
More hours are also available to children classified as homeless or /unhoused. This includes families whose housing situation is in turmoil. UPK wants to support the young child, knowing that stability must be met during their earliest years.
Multilingualism:
Added hours include children who are being exposed to two or more languages at the same time or children learning their second language alongside developing their first. Their special linguistic needs are taken into consideration, and the environment is ensured to be helpful in the promotion of their linguistic development.
Special Education Needs
Extra hours are also given to eligible children with an IEP. This is meant to help children who come from different learning backgrounds hence receiving the requisite support and facilitation in their preschool environment.
Poverty:
Extra hours are provided for children whose families have incomes at or below the guidelines of federal poverty, with household incomes below 100% of the guidelines. This recognizes that some families live on incomes that are relatively low and ensures more children will benefit from extra hours when they are available.
Foster Care or Non-Certified Kinship Care
Additional hours are allowed for children in a state-supervised and county-administered foster home or in non-certified kinship care. The income eligibility chart is used when a child is cared for by a relative or kin who has an established significant relationship to the child, but the kin has not met requirements for certification under the state's foster care program.
Income Eligibility Table:
To identify whether a household is low-income or poverty, the parents can look at the income eligibility table that outlines gross monthly income by household size.
Table Taken from Colorado Department of Early Childhood:
Conclusion:
Eligibility criteria to participate in daycares in Colorado requires deep knowledge of core requirements such as age and proximity to the kindergarten and additional hours with other qualification factors. The program is very inclusive, helping children from various backgrounds and situations. Parents can act proactively while preparing their children to make full use of this invaluable opportunity in their educational lives by keeping themselves updated on the eligibility criteria, paving their way for a much brighter future in their academic lives. ChildrenKare helps parents find registered daycare centers, an environment that is nurturing as well as safe for their children's early learning experiences.
