House Bill 22-1295 for Better Beginnings

Unifying Colorado’s Early Childhood System
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To provide the best experience for both families and providers, Colorado needs a set of policies that direct the work of the Department of Early Childhood and Universal Preschool Program. Based on the unanimously-approved recommendations from the Early Childhood Leadership Commission, House Bill 22-1295 ensures families and providers access to:

One High Quality Early Childhood System

For providers of all early childhood services and programs to work together in one department responsible for helping families raise healthy, thriving children.

One Simple Enrollment Application

For families to access all early childhood services and get matched to funding and providers.

One Universal Preschool Program

For all kids offered the year before kindergarten, with extended hours for those who will benefit the most.

Anchored by these core elements, House Bill 22-1295 will create better beginnings for all Colorado children and put Colorado on the path to be the best state for kids and families.

House Bill 22-1295 is sponsored by Rep. Emily Sirota and House Speaker Alec Garnett, Sen. Janet Buckner and Senate President Steve Fenberg, and it has the support of Governor Jared Polis.

Act Now to Help Pass HB 22-1295

“To make such a very simple, yet very impactful change would really set the tone, not just for our family and our state but it could be the example of how we could lead this country, to make sure that we, as Coloradans, bring joy to our children from the very beginning.”

Jess Adkins, Denver Working Mom

How House Bill 22-1295 Supports Families and Providers

House Bill 22-1295 takes a number of steps to address many of the existing challenges faced by families and providers, including:

Aligning rules and regulations, creating a streamlined application, and ensuring there is one point of contact responsible for early childhood coordination in every local community.
Improving access to preschool by providing at least 10 hours of high-quality preschool programming per week, with additional programming for those who would benefit most, to all families that want it beginning in Fall 2023.
Integrating family strengthening programs, including home visiting and parent support programs, into the new Department; and reducing the potential stigma associated with accessing such programs.
Requiring local coordination between programs to help create a full-day of voluntary programming for as many preschool-aged children whose families want these services.
Making the early childhood system easier for providers, strengthening our infrastructure with local coordination, and encouraging better coordination to fund more programs.

Supporting a mixed delivery system of early childhood providers, including community-based, home-based, and school-based providers.
Ensuring state resources only fund high-quality programs based on nationally recognized standards that prioritize child outcomes and social emotional skills.
Providing necessary guidance and support to communities as they seek to scale to quality.
Establishing a new Rules and Regulations Advisory Council that must be made up of more than 50% parents and providers.
Advancing strategies that can help to recruit, train, and retain more early childhood professionals.