Colorado needs to fund full-day kindergarten and preschool. Doing that will help free up additional resources to eliminate the waitlist for Colorado's highly successful state PreK program (CPP). Colorado could be a pioneer in early childhood #education. 

Bill Jaeger, Vice President of Early Childhood and Policy Initiatives at the nonprofit Colorado Children's Campaign, states that he isn't aware of any other state with a preschool program that is accessible to all and prioritizes kids who face the most significant barriers to opportunity. Learning in their early years is critical for kids, and making it run even more smoothly will be an important step. Various decades of research have revealed that children's experiences in the earliest years of learning lay the foundation of what lies ahead.

Democratic Gov. Jared Polis promised to fund early learning during his campaign in 2018 entirely. Over 67,000 4-year-olds call Colorado home; however, only a percentage are enrolled in preschool. Almost 15,700 4-year-olds are enrolled in a full-day or half-day preschool program. The majority only have access to a half-day program. Additionally, according to Jaeger, 7,000 low-income 4-year-old children are enrolled in preschool through a combination of funding from the Colorado Child care Assistance Program and Head Start funds. 

Every year, the legislature decides the number of slots to fund for the Colorado Preschool Program. However, this should be different since many taxpayers' funds are allocated for preschool and K-12 learning.

Fully funding preschool and full-day kindergarten will ensure every child can access 10 hours of preschool per week before kindergarten. 

The funds will also provide extra hours of preschool to children from low-income families and those who are generally behind in their readiness for school. If the state builds programming from the funds set aside for households who may find it hard to make ends meet, their economic well-being will be boosted, enabling them to be active in the labor force. 

Investing in early education is essential. 

Kids who acquire high-quality preschool have lower chances of being held back. They are also less likely to develop reading difficulties, have a lower possibility of being branded as kids with special needs, and have a high potential to meet state standards during assessments. The pre-kindergarten year allows children and parents to take part in early learning and address areas of children's needs, including cognitive and social-emotional needs. 

Unfortunately, despite many families hoping for their children's success in school, they often face challenges in getting what is needed to make that a reality. But with total funding from the government, it will offer access throughout the state, and all the communities will get support to ensure their children transition to school.

The program is also helpful in eliminating inequality in education. Jaeger says that it is "shameful" for able families to enroll their children in high-quality preschool while struggling households lack the same equitable access to opportunity.

Universal preschooling ensures that no resident finds it challenging to offer their child quality education. With this initiative, wealthy and struggling households will have equal access to education, regardless of their economic status.