Westminster presenters highlight UPK rollout, mapping shows participation gaps in Adams County

Matt O'Shaughn and Kelly Alteiser, speaking for Westminster Public Schools and the Adams County UPK local coordinating organization, told the school board on April 22 that Colorado’s Universal Preschool program has shifted preschool funding and enrollment processes and exposed access gaps across Adams County.

The presenters said the state-funded UPK provides up to 10 hours a week of free preschool for four-year-olds and that Adams County Connections — the county’s LCO — coordinated a mixed-delivery network of district, Head Start, private and home-based providers. "This brought $17,000,000 of UPK funding into the county," Kelly Alteiser said.

Why it matters: Board members pressed presenters about how the change from slot-based funding to per-student monthly payments and a state enrollment portal has affected local providers and families. Presenters said the shift complicates local planning, creates more paperwork for families and — as mapping shows — results in lower participation in neighborhoods with greater poverty, the opposite of the policy’s equity goal.

Key details: Presenters described three technical changes: (1) funding now follows children month-to-month rather than as an annual slot allocation; (2) families must enroll through the state portal (referred to in the presentation as Brida/Bridal Care) and then complete local registration, creating duplicate systems; and (3) state-level prioritization rules determine which children qualify for 15 or 30 hours of funded care rather than local judgment. Adams County Connections staff said they supported roughly 3,800 UPK enrollments in Adams County this year out of an estimated 6,804 eligible four-year-olds.

The district’s mapping project overlays licensed program locations, quality ratings, neighborhood demographics, poverty, and UPK enrollment to show where eligible children are not participating. Presenters said the maps show higher-poverty neighborhoods tending to have lower UPK participation, while high-income neighborhoods have higher participation percentages. The presenters called the mapping tool a planning resource for targeted outreach and said they secured funding to repeat the analysis and to pilot statewide replication with other local coordinating organizations.

Funding and policy risks: Presenters warned about pending state budget cuts affecting child-care assistance (CCAP) and early intervention programs, and noted concern about a possible Head Start shutdown at the federal level. They also said CDEC (Colorado Department of Early Childhood) delayed quality standards implementation to 2026, limiting the state’s near-term ability to enforce consistent program quality.

Board questions and staff response: Board members asked whether private providers receive UPK funds (yes, by direct state payment to licensed providers), whether outreach plans target low-participation neighborhoods (presenters said staff have done more than 90 site visits this year and identified eight neighborhoods for targeted outreach), and whether the one-stop family website under development will help families navigate overlapping funding streams (presenters said the site is the intended goal and that raisingcoloradokids.com has launched to consolidate information).

What’s next: Presenters said they are awaiting a state audit of UPK and further budget guidance. They urged continued local outreach while monitoring upcoming state fiscal decisions.