This story was originally published by Chalkbeat.
DENVER | Colorado’s free preschool program has been popular with families since it launched three years ago, but state leaders need to raise the bar on quality.
That finding from a state-mandated evaluation of the $349 million program echoes concerns long raised by advocates that universal preschool started with minimal standards on class size, curriculum, and teacher training, among other things.
The evaluation, conducted by Child Trends and released in early July, provides the first comprehensive look at what’s gone well and what hasn’t in the universal preschool program’s initial two years. One of Gov. Jared Polis’ signature initiatives, the program provides 10 to 30 hours a week of tuition-free preschool to about 70% of the state’s 4-year-olds.
State officials rushed to roll out the preschool program in 2023, shortly after the state’s new Department of Early Childhood was created. The tight timeline meant more than 40,000 children were soon getting half- or full-day preschool for free — a relief for many families. But the fast pace contributed to some initial problems cited by the evaluation.
Those include confusion about enrollment processes, frustration over how state officials communicated about the program, and concern that the state didn’t prioritize quality.
The evaluation says the concern about quality is exacerbated by a report from the National Institute for Early Education Research showing that Colorado’s universal preschool program meets only two of 10 benchmarks meant to promote preschool quality.
“The optics of it are not good,” said Heather Tritten, president and CEO of the Colorado Children’s Campaign, a Denver-based advocacy group. “You see the two out of 10, and you think, ‘Oh my gosh, that must not be a good program.’”
But the reality is more complicated, she said. That’s because some of the research institute’s benchmarks may not attainable or desirable in Colorado — for example, one that requires a bachelor’s degree for lead preschool teachers.
Other benchmarks include class size caps of 20 students, teacher-student ratios of 1 to 10, and a requirement that assistant teachers have a widely recognized credential called a Child Development Associate or the equivalent.
Tritten said state officials should spell out the quality standards they strive to hit.
“Without having our own set of standards or defining it within (the research institute’s) standards, we’re not communicating why our universal pre-K program is high quality,” she said. “I think that might be the biggest problem.”
Dawn Odean, Colorado’s universal preschool director, said the state is focusing on preschool quality, with several changes set to take effect in the next couple years.
They include requirements that universal preschool providers use either a state-vetted curriculum or an approach that meets certain state standards. They’ll also have to use an observation-based assessment to monitor preschool students’ skills and progress.
State officials will begin piloting a tool this coming year that will assess teacher-student relationships and interactions during in-person visits, Odean said.
Alma Wiley, who runs an in-home child care business in El Paso County and participates in universal preschool, likes that idea.
“From centers to family child care homes to school districts, having those relationships is what children thrive on,” she said. “If we don’t have those bonding relationships in the first five years, we’re just not building the foundation for them.”
But Wiley, who cares for nine children including two children in the state-funded preschool program, thinks the program should require lower class sizes and teacher-student ratios. She unsuccessfully pushed for that as a member of a state council that advises the Colorado Department of Early Childhood.
Under state rules, universal preschool classrooms can have up to 22 students and a teacher-student ratio of 1 to 11 if providers have a Level 1 or Level 2 rating, the lowest two of five state ratings in the state’s Colorado Shine’s system. Providers with higher ratings can have up to 24 preschoolers and teacher student ratios of 1 to 12.
“They need one-on-one with the caregiver … to build those relationships, to build that foundation,” said Wiley, whom the children call Miss Alma. “So, having 12 kids in one classroom to a teacher, I don’t think is beneficial to a child at this age level.”
Of the more than 2,000 preschool providers in the state-funded program, 54% have the lowest two state ratings, according to the evaluation.
Odean said the state will unveil a five-year strategic plan for universal preschool in November.
“We have to show child outcomes,” she said. “That’s the point of this program. It isn’t just a subsidy,”
Odean said she expects the state’s preschool program to meet several of the 10 benchmarks recommended by the National Institute for Early Education Research in the coming years.
“Are we specifically, intentionally trying to hit a 10?” she said. “Not necessarily.”
Ann Schimke is a senior reporter at Chalkbeat, covering early childhood issues and early literacy. Contact Ann at aschimke@chalkbeat.org. Chalkbeat is a nonprofit news site covering educational change in public schools.