370A961F072BFD998725847900530280 Hearing Summary

PUBLIC
BILL SUMMARY For FULL-DAY KINDERGARTEN IMPLEMENTATION AND THE COLORADO PRESCHOOL PROGRAM

INTERIM COMMITTEE EARLY CHILDHOOD AND SCHOOL READINESS
Date Sep 18, 2019
Location SCR 357

Full-day Kindergarten Implementation and the Colorado Preschool Program - Committee Discussion Only

Attachment Tag

File Name

Attachment

190918 AttachA.pdf

09:06:43 AM

Senator Story, chair, called the meeting
to order and invited the presenters to the table: Anji Gallanos, Director,
Preschool through 3rd Grade (P-3) Office, Colorado Department of Education
(CDE), and Floyd Cobb, Executive Director, Teacher and Learning Unit, CDE.
They distributed a handout (Attachment A) and discussed several of
the department's strategic activities, including all students reading by
3rd grade, improving schools, postsecondary attainment, and closing the
achievement gap. Dr. Cobb explained the other strategic future goals,
including implementing full-day kindergarten, promoting and developing
high quality, evidence-based early learning and literacy strategies, expanding
professional development, and strengthening partnerships. Dr. Cobb
answered questions from the commission.

09:15:11 AM

Ms. Gallanos provided background information
on the P-3 office, which is set up to support vertical alignment between
early childhood systems and K-3 systems. She discussed the diffrent
components of the office, which include Child Find, Colorado Preschool
Program Special Education, Kindergarten School Readiness, P-3 Literacy
and the Reading to Ensure Academic Development (READ) Act, and Data &
Decisions Sciences. Ms. Gallanos and Dr. Cobb answered questions
about kindergarten readiness assessments.

09:26:59 AM

Ms. Gallanos reviewed legislation passed
in 2019 impacting preschool and Early Childhood At-risk Enhancement (ECARE)
slots, spoke about how many schools moved to full-day kindergarten this
year from half-day kindergarten, and discussed how support is being provided
by CDE to districts for full-day kindergarten implementation. These
supports are: district input, surveys, staff support, professional development
for principals through full-day kindergarten "academies," and
statewide presentations. Ms. Gallanos provided information about
the Colorado Preschool Program (CPP) which began in 1988 to provide funding
for up to 29,360 at-risk children annually for preschool education. She
spoke about the transition of ECARE slots used for half day kindergarten
to full day preschool, and about why some districts returned additional
ECARE slots to CDE to reallocate to other districts.

09:43:42 AM

Ms. Gallanos reviewed statistics pertaining
to the achievement rate of children who participate in CPP. Ms. Gallanos
and Dr. Cobb answered additional questions about CPP around parental involvement,
risk factors that must be present in order to be eligible for CPP, and
unmet need. Ms. Gallanos answered questions about the difference
between CPP slots and ECARE slots and how each are funded, and said that
CDE estimates that approximately 97 percent of eligible kindergarteners
are currently enrolled in full-day kindergarten as opposed to the previous
rate of 84 percent.

Full-day Kindergarten Implementation and the Colorado Preschool Program - Committee Discussion Only

Colorado General Assembly