Member Minute

11/10/25

Kodo Kids - New Partnership to save you money!

We've established a partnership with this Colorado based company to support you and your program. Shop from here to get a 5% discount on your entire order: https://kodokids.com/COECEA5

11/6/25

Thank you Peggy!

Three years ago ECEA received COVID funds and added Peggy to the staff as a business consultant, coach and trainer. As the industry constricts, we have had to make the difficult choice to end her position at ECEA. Anyone that is interested in connecting with Peggy directly for classroom coaching can email her at: [email protected]

Thank you Peggy for being an amazing part of what we have been doing at ECEA!! You will be missed!!!

Note: Peggy will subcontract with us to provide Pyramid trainings going forward.

11/6/25

A Litle More UPK Data

School Districts have filled 84% of their slots statewide. (21,715 of 25,942 total slots).

Family Child Care Homes have filled 44% of their slots statewide. (946+ of 2,150 with some minimal data suppression).

Community Based Programs have filled 59% of their slots filled (19,734 of 33,385 total slots).

The problem with the data still? "Community Based Programs" includes head start and early head start programs that are participating in UPK. Not all of the 306 programs are participating in UPK but MANY are. We are certain that you will agree....head start programs should NOT be defined as "community based child care" in the UPK system of providers. If HOMES are a breakout category, they need to do the same with Head Start programs!!

Enrollment Totals:

69% of slots are filled system wide (42,395 of 61,477 slots).

Homes are 2.23%

School Districts are 51.22%

Community Based Programs are 46.55% of all enrollments (including head start programs).

11/4/25

Statewide Ballot Initiatives for Early Childhood Funding

Just a note: These would be GREAT counties to request that they deem Child Care as an area of local concern. If they do that they can waive your property taxes!

11/3/25

Independent Evaluation of the CDEC

Linked here: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1jZfL6xeQaX5JaggXl4EBZEgpM9RzjyMLvmXnTEK1F60/edit?tab=t.0#heading=h.ht93zze762p0

Recommendations start on page 17

Other Reports

FY 2026-26 CCCAP/TANF/Child Welfare Sustainability Strategies and Recommendations

Early Childhood Councils & Local Coordinating Organizations

Early Childhood Worforce Evidence-Building Hub: Annual Strategy Report

CCCAP Teach Wage Pilor: Year 1 Evluation Snapshot

CO Early Care and Education Workforce Compensation Patterns

Prenatal-to-Three Policy Recommendation Report

10/31/25

2026 Early Childhood Budget Requests

10/30/25

Letter to Governor Polis

As Colorado families teeter on the brink of economic despair, with child care programs shuttering and parents forced out of the workforce, we implore you to seize this moment for bold, compassionate leadership. The Colorado Child Care Assistance Program (CCAP)—a cornerstone of our state's workforce stability and family security—is paralyzed by federal uncertainty, costing us $43 million in unnecessary burdens and leaving millions in unspent federal revenue idle. This isn't just red tape; it's a crisis robbing Colorado of its promise as a family-friendly powerhouse.

We all know the federal landscape: The 2024 Child Care and Development Fund (CCDF) rules are on the ropes, with verbal assurances from federal officials that states need not comply. Yet, Colorado's administrative caution—rightfully seeking written clarity via waiver—has frozen counties, trapping families on waitlists while children age out unreplaced. In the shadows of this freeze, child care providers are collapsing, parents are sidelined from jobs, and our economy bleeds opportunity.

Governor Polis, your track record of pragmatic, pro-family innovation—from universal pre-K to economic recovery—positions you uniquely to break this logjam. Why wait for a federal waiver when you could issue a targeted executive directive declaring: In light of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services' explicit verbal commitments to rescind these rules, Colorado will proceed with CCAP implementation, recognizing that this would instantly drive down the cost of CCCAP by $43 million a year. This isn't defiance; it's decisive stewardship—mirroring the federal executive actions we're advocating for at the national level, including a bipartisan push for waiver approval despite OCC staff furloughs.

To that end, we respectfully ask: Are there state-level levers—emergency rulemaking, county incentives, or administrative overrides—we can activate today to shift frozen counties from "freeze lists" to active waitlists? Can we empower local administrators to process CCCAP applications based on these federal assurances, ensuring no family is left behind while we await ink on paper? Such a move would not only unlock that dormant revenue but signal to Washington that Colorado leads, not lags, in family support.

This is a bipartisan win waiting to happen: Republicans cheering fiscal prudence, Democrats hailing child welfare triumphs, and families across the aisle breathing easier. Families can't wait for D.C.'s dysfunction—nor can our providers, where over half of community based programs report operating below their break even points. By acting now, Governor Polis can deliver immediate relief, bolster our workforce, and cement Colorado's reputation as the nation's gold standard for working families.

We stand ready to collaborate—please advise on next steps or a brief call to align. Time is of the essence; let's turn a crisis into a catalyst.

Thank you,

Dawn Alexander

Executive Director

ECEA Of Colorado (coloradoecea.org)

What we DO know about UPK so far....even without the full CORA

Under UPK, school districts are now serving 13,107 more 4 year old children than they previously were under the Colorado Preschool program. I can share data from our recent CORA to demonstrate this if you'd like.

Current number contracted slots in school district 4 year old UPK is 25,873.
In the last year of CPP school districts served 12,766 4 year olds (68.5% of all served by CPP).
That's an increase of 102.67% of 4 year olds enrolled in School Districts!
Community based numbers have included Head Start Program numbers. ECEA has attained a list of providers so that we can separate those numbers to better reflect what is happening in community based programs statewide.

10/29/25

Regulation Changes are COMING SOON!

ECEA is working with the state legislature and CDEC to bring reason to regulations that are imposed on the industry. Some of the work is dependent on what amount of de-regulation occurs on the federal level. We don't anticipate being able to see those until 2026 sometime. In the meantime ECEA is working with legislators via a stakeholder meeting today. We will update this post when we have details about what we accomplish there!