UPK Program Updates 2024-25
Rates & Payment Schedule
Providers will receive an email with the UPK rates and payment schedule this week. The email will have important information on how to set up your provider payment account with MetrixIQ.
You must have the Provider Agreement DocuSign completed in order to receive payments. Please email CDEC_procurement-contracts@state.co.us if you have not already done so.
Program Start & End Dates
As we get ready to start the 24-25 school year, CDEC needs your program start and end dates. Remember, June and July are not covered by UPK.
If you have not already done so, please complete this form with the UPK school year start and end dates for your program.
Provider Office Hours (with CDEC) - TOMORROW JULY 25 
The UPK direct enrollment process starts on August 1. In advance of that date, CDEC will offer provider office hours tomorrow:
- Thursday, July 25 from 11:00am to 12:00pm. Click here to join the meeting.
- Thursday July 25 from 6:00 to 7:00pm. Click here to join the meeting.
Provider Support Session (with Triad Bright Futures) - FRIDAY JULY 26
Get your questions answered on Friday, July 26, from 1:00 to 2:00pm in a provider support session hosted by Triad Bright Futures. Click here to join the meeting.
Other Important Reminders
If you need to add seats to your program in preparation for direct enrollment, please email upk@triadbrightfutures.org with the number of seats you need to add to each of your programs.
If any of the programs you chose do not match the programs that the children will be attending your program, please email upk@triadbrightfutures.org and we will request the correct program to be added to your profile, and we will move the children internally from one program to the other. For example, if you selected a part time program (10 hours per week) but your students attend 12 hours per week, we need to request the correct program to be added, so you can charge students for the hours not covered by UPK.
UPK Timeline
- July 3: Deadline for families to submit or make changes to application for Round 2 matching.
- July 8 – 19: Provider Round 2 Matching review period.
- July 23: Families notified of second-round matches. Families must accept or decline by July 31st.
- August 1: Non-IEP Direct Enrollment until the end of the 2024–25 school year
IEP Direct Enrollment
IEP Direct Enrollment begins February 29 and runs through the end of the 2024-25 school year.
Special Education Administrative Units (AUs) and school districts will request placement of students with IEPs. Providers will accept matches within 2 weeks of receiving a match. Families of a child with an IEP will have until 6/30/25 to accept their match. CDEC requests that they accept within two weeks.
Multilingual Marketing Toolkit
The Department of Early Childhood has developed and translated a marketing toolkit for Universal Preschool providers and community partners to promote UPK in multiple languages.
Interested in Joining UPK as a Provider?
Providers can start registration and provide contact information for an Authorized Signer to be sent the Provider Agreement for signature. See this guide for instructions on completing your program setup form. If you have questions about provider agreements, please contact CDEC directly at cdec_procurement-contracts@state.co.us.
Tools to Promote Your UPK Program to Families
The materials in this shared folder are designed to help providers promote their program to families.
Resources include printable flyers that you can share with families to let them know that you are a participating UPK provider and how they can enroll their child. There are also emails that providers can customize and send to families.
Universal Preschool Handbooks & FAQ
Family Handbook 2024-25
Comprehensive information to help families understand the UPK program, sign their child up, and rank their providers of choice.
There are also answers to common questions, a tool to check age eligibility, and more.
Provider Handbook 2024-25
Check this link frequently for the most updated version of the UPK provider handbook. This is a live document and new information is added regularly.
Includes detailed instructions how to enroll, how the matching process works, answers to common questions, and more.
Important Quality Standards Action Items for Providers
These phased action items are meant to help providers meet the UPK quality standards that will be phased in starting July 1, 2024.
Have and implement policies and procedures (on their website or handbook distributed to families) which ensure:
- The use of interpreters or other language resources to effectively communicate in families’ home language;
- Seeking input from participating families on priorities, interests, home routines, and cultural and social practices;
- Engaging with families on goals which inform the provider’s interactions and instruction with children, including with multilingual learners;
- Engaging families and community partners in decision-making on preschool operations;
- Involving families in the transition of children into and out of the Preschool Program, including the transition into Kindergarten;
- Ensuring the quality of program-family and program-staff interactions.
- Additionally, there is a requirement to notify families of the opportunity to participate in an annual Family Survey conducted by CDEC.
IMPORTANT NOTES:
- Preschool providers will not be required to submit documentation to demonstrate compliance.
- Information gathered in the 2024-25 school year will not be used for determination of compliance.
UPK Help Desk
The Triad Bright Futures Help Desk can help families and providers navigate the UPK portal, assist with reviewing rosters, and make requests to CDEC for seat adjustments.
The fastest way to get support is to submit an online ticket.
Need help with submitting a ticket? Here are how-to documents to guide you through it:
- Provider Help Ticket Guide
- Family Help Ticket Guide
- School District Help Ticket Guide
- Ayuda en español
If you cannot submit a ticket, you can email upk@triadbrightfutures.org or call 720-449-7960.