It’s a new year, but our work continues to ensure all children, their families, and the early childhood professionals who support them are valued, healthy, and thriving.

On Dec. 30, the Transition Working Group (TWG) released a completed set of Universal Preschool Recommendations to guide the voluntary, universal preschool program. These recommendations were shared at the Town Hall on January 4; check out the recording, which includes a special welcome from Governor Jared Polis. 

These recommendations have been submitted to the Early Childhood Leadership Commission (ECLC), who will hold its next public meeting on Jan. 11 at 9:30am to review the recommendations and vote on their approval.  We hope you will join us. 

We’re thrilled to take another step forward for Colorado, and we could not have arrived at this moment without the dedicated work of all our stakeholders, including our Transition Advisory Group (TAG) and subgroup members. 

This is the final Department of Early Childhood Transition Planning newsletter. Going forward, we will continue to share updates through the Our Voice newsletter - we encourage you to sign up to receive monthly updates as well as other announcements, resources and opportunities from the early childhood community. 

Though many of the formal engagement processes from this point forward will be conducted through the Governor’s Office, the ECLC will continue to inform the community about opportunities to stay involved.  We remain committed to engaging with stakeholders and elevating a diverse set of voices from across the state.    

Thank you to everyone who has engaged in this process - your voice has truly shaped the vision for Colorado's early childhood system.  We look forward to continuing to work together throughout 2022 - and beyond.

During the January 2022 Town Hall, representatives from the Governor’s Office emphasized the importance of stakeholder engagement to the success of the Department of Early Childhood and the universal preschool program. Stakeholders should expect to remain informed and engaged through the following new and existing channels:

• New Website (launching soon!)
• Feedback Form will now be shared with the Governor's Office Transition Leadership
• Newsletter Updates through the Our Voice Newsletter
  • This is the final Transition Planning newsletter.  Please sign up for Our Voice to continue to receive updates!
• Topic-specific focus groups
• Monthly Town Hall events 

Additional details, such as a calendar of events, will soon be available.

Recent Activity

• Department of Early Childhood (DEC) Transition Plan: On Nov. 10 the ECLC unanimously approved the DEC Transition Plan, and the plan has been submitted to the Governor and the Legislature. To view the final plan, please click here. We could not have arrived at this moment without your help, and we thank you for your contribution!
• Transition Advisory Group (TAG): TAG met Dec. 15 to review and discuss the feedback on the recommendations for the new voluntary, universal preschool program. 
  • For materials and recordings of this meeting and all previous TAG meetings, visit the TAG webpage.
• Early Childhood Leadership Commission: The ECLC met Dec. 16 to review and discuss the feedback received thus far on the recommendations for the new voluntary, universal preschool program and to offer guidance as the TWG completed the report. 
  • For materials and recordings of this meeting and all previous ECLC meetings, visit the ECLC Meeting webpage. 
• Monthly Town Hall: The ECLC hosted a monthly town hall on Jan. 4, 2022 to present stakeholders with the completed universal preschool recommendations and share future opportunities for engagement. 
  • View the recording and slides.  

We are committed to ensuring broad stakeholder engagement throughout the process.  We will continue to send updates and share information as dates and opportunities are confirmed.  

Please reach out to Kristina Heyl at [email protected] with any questions.  Thank you all for your commitment to this exciting work! 

For additional information about the transition process, visit www.earlychildhoodcolorado.org/transition