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Denver Preschool Program lifts early education

Contributed by: James Mejía on 10/3/2008

If you've paid any attention to this election cycle, you've heard presidential nominees Senator Barack Obama and Senator John McCain talk at length about the importance of early childhood education - and for good reason.

Recent studies have shown that nearly 80 percent of brain development occurs before the age of five. Even more remarkable - and troubling for our state - is that Colorado kindergarten teachers report that one out of every three children enters kindergarten unprepared to learn.

There is, however, reason for hope. In the fall of 2006, Denver voters approved a sales tax of $.12 on every $100 purchase to fund the expansion of preschool, which led to the creation of the Denver Preschool Program (DPP).

DPP was formed to make early education more affordable and accessible by providing financial assistance to families with children in their last year of preschool before kindergarten. Through DPP, all eligible families in the City and County of Denver can receive up to $1,250 a month for tuition credits depending on factors such as family size, family income and the quality rating of the preschool chosen.

What makes DPP different than other programs across the country is our focus on helping to create quality preschool programs. Rather than enrolling as many children as possible into preschool, we aim to enroll as many children as possible into quality preschools.

We do this by offering improvement grants to providers that stress quality in early education. In terms of helping maintain quality across DPP preschools, our early education partner, Qualistar, evaluates the quality of the preschool before and after its enrollment to ensure DPP is doing all it can do to improve the quality of the preschool. The four star rating system - four being the highest - outlines the strengths and weaknesses of the program and provides a detailed plan for continuous quality improvement.

There are currently more than 70 providers (380 quality-rated classrooms) enrolled in the program and those numbers are growing every day. As you consider enrolling your child, keep in mind that most preschools offer rolling enrollment, meaning you don't have to wait until the end of the "term" to enroll.

I encourage you to take advantage of the extraordinary benefits DPP can provide to your family. Please visit our Web site at www.dpp.org or simply feel free to call us at 303-595-4DPP (4377) to learn more about DPP and what DPP preschools are in your community.

We will also be at the following locations and events in your neighborhood throughout the rest of 2008:

- United Church of Montbello (4879 Crown Blvd) on Oct. 12 at 10:30 a.m.

- 9Health Fair for Kids (6000 Victory Way, Commerce City) on Oct. 18 at 8 a.m.

- RTD Health Fair (1900 31st Street) on Oct. 21 at 9 a.m.

- Annual "Our Health Matters" Community Health Expo (19535 E 46th Ave) on Nov. 15 at 11:30 a.m.

- 2008 CO Parent Education, Fun & Fitness Fair (4655 Humboldt St) on Nov. 15 at 10 a.m.

Thanks,

James Mejia
CEO of DPP


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CONTRIBUTOR INFORMATION

James Mejía

Denver , CO

James Mejía has posted 4 stories and 0 comments since joining on 10/3/2008. James Mejía 's average story rating is 5.
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