Student enrollment has continued declining across Colorado public schools, with the state counting about 1,200 fewer students in kindergarten through 12th grade this fall than last year, when enrollment in preschool through high school plunged by about 30,000 students. State officials largely attributed last year’s enrollment slump — which was the first of its kind […]
kindergarten
Posted inOpinion, Opinion Columns
Carman: Ruthless misogyny is behind our failure to care for children
It’s being called the Great Resignation. A record 4.3 million workers up and quit in August. A variety of reasons have been cited, from lousy working conditions and low pay to increasingly hostile and obnoxious customers. COVID has made people realize that life is short and if you are working full time at a job […]
Posted inColoradans, COVID, Education, News
Thousands of families redshirted their preschoolers and kindergarteners. Will they swell Colorado schools next fall?
Alamosa School District classrooms are typically full, with about 200 kindergarteners each school year. But that number dropped to 142 this fall. Many of Colorado’s 178 school districts saw a similar enrollment dip. The kindergarten count statewide dropped 8.5% this school year, meaning that thousands of kids who were on track to start kindergarten this […]
Posted inColoradans, Education, News, Politics and Government
Struggle to afford kids, homes in Colorado could keep full-day kindergarten from busting education budget
The number of kids enrolled in kindergarten across Colorado appears to have declined this school year, even with Gov. Jared Polis’ ambitious push for free full-day kindergarten in every school district. Legislative budget forecasters expect that trend to continue, or that enrollment will remain flat, as birth rates decline and sky-high housing costs discourage young […]
Posted inOpinion, Opinion Columns
John Walsh: The role of integrated, bi-literate schools — a success story
Colorado is a diverse place, and increasingly so. But we all know that we have a long way to go if we want our communities to be truly integrated — and that’s especially the case when it comes to our schools. Although the goal of integration can seem impossibly far off, it doesn’t have to be. […]
Posted inEducation, Opinion, Opinion Columns
Opinion: Polis’ free all-day kindergarten lets parents re-enter the workforce. How can we help them?
In May, Gov. Jared Polis signed a bipartisan bill into law funding full-day kindergarten for Coloradan kids starting this fall — a transformational investment in our state’s future. When I heard the news, I naturally thought of how I felt when my daughter, Addison, reached kindergarten age. I learned that even though she was going […]
Posted inOpinion, Opinion Columns
Opinion: Did Colorado Democrats overreach, or were they right on target?
After a legislative session that delivered full-day kindergarten, lower costs for early childhood education, new steps toward paid leave and retirement security and stronger consumer protections, there’s a campaign trying to tell you these priorities are somehow alien ambitions for our state — that these community achievements are a far cry from what Coloradans want […]
Posted inEducation, News, Politics and Government
Colorado districts are preparing quickly for full-day kindergarten, potentially increasing costs
By Erica Meltzer, Chalkbeat Colorado Large Colorado school districts that collectively serve thousands of children in half-day kindergarten programs are preparing to switch to full-day programs this fall, potentially pushing up the cost of Gov. Jared Polis’ signature education initiative. Lawmakers have set aside $185 million — about 80 percent of what Polis requested — to pay […]
Posted inOpinion, Opinion Columns
Opinion: Colorado babies cry out for policy changes
Too many young children show up to kindergarten without the skills they need to continue learning. While Colorado has made tremendous investments in early childhood through programs like the Colorado Preschool Program, which helps prepare young children for success in school, the science is clear — we need to start even earlier. In fact, decades […]
Posted inEducation, News, Politics and Government
As free full-day kindergarten nears reality in Colorado, advocates press their case
By Erica Meltzer, Chalkbeat Colorado Jeannie Nelson didn’t have to pay for full-day kindergarten for her two older children because her family was below the Denver school district’s income threshold. But her husband, an EMT, recently got a raise, and now the family is waiting to know if they’ll have to pay for their third […]