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Sign up for Chalkbeat Colorado’s free daily newsletter to get the latest reporting from us, plus curated news from other Colorado outlets, delivered to your inbox. Colorado families can start applying for the state’s free preschool program for the 2026-27 school year on Tuesday at noon. The $349 million program, which launched in the fall of 2023, is open to all 4-year-olds. Nearly 43,000 4-year-olds are currently enrolled in the program. About 3,900 3-year-olds with disabilities are also enrolled. State officials say it will take most families about five minutes to fill out the universal preschool application. Like last year, there’s a phone helpline that offers interpretation in over 100 languages. Here’s what families need to know about the preschool program and the online application. Who gets free preschool? How much do they get? Two groups of children qualify: all 4-year-olds and some 3-year-olds who need extra help. The preschool program is primarily designed for children in the year before they go to kindergarten. For the upcoming 2026-27 school year, that means children who turn 4 before Oct. 1, 2026. Most 4-year-olds will get 15 hours of preschool a week, though some preschool providers offer only 10 hours a week. Some 4-year-olds will qualify for 30 hours of tuition-free preschool a week. This includes children from families with incomes at or below 100% of the 2025 federal poverty level — up to $32,150 for a family of four. Four-year-olds with two or more of the following risk factors will also qualify for 30 hours a week: Their family income is between 100% and 265% of the federal poverty level — $32,150 to $85,198 for a family of four. They speak a language other than English at home. They have a special education plan, also known as an IEP. They are homeless. They are in foster care. Qualifying for 30 hours of free preschool through the state isn’t a guarantee that a child will get it. Not every preschool offers a 30-hour a week schedule — or has open seats available even if it does. Compared to 4-year-olds, only a small number of 3-year-olds — children two years away from kindergarten — qualify for tuition-free preschool. Only 3-year-olds who have special education plans are guaranteed free preschool. What about 5-year-olds who aren’t in kindergarten yet? A small number of 5-year-olds are eligible for free preschool in the year before they attend kindergarten. This group can include children who move between districts or who live in districts with kindergarten cut-off dates earlier than the state’s Oct. 1 cut-off and whose birthdays fall between the two dates. Five-year-olds who could go to kindergarten but have been held out by their families — a practice often called redshirting — aren’t eligible for free preschool in that year. When can I fill out the universal preschool application? This year’s application opens on Dec. 9 at noon. Some families of children who will be 4 by Oct. 1 will get to preregister, specifically those who want to send their child to the preschool where the child is currently enrolled, where a sibling is enrolled, or where the parent is employed. These families should fill out the state preschool application, list their current provider as their first choice, and submit. They’ll receive notification about their preschool match on Feb. 2 and must accept the match by Feb. 11. Families not eligible to preregister can still fill out the universal preschool application starting Dec. 9. Those who submit by Feb. 2 will fall into the state’s first round of matching. They’ll find out which program they matched with on Feb. 25 and must accept or decline the match by March 5. Families that submit their choices between Feb. 3 and March 15 will fall into the state’s second round of matching. They’ll find out their match on March 24 and must accept or decline the match by March 31. What if I apply after the first two matching windows? Families of children who will be 4 by Oct. 1 can still apply for free preschool after the first two rounds of matching are complete through what’s called “direct enrollment.” This process starts on April 1 and will continue through the end of the 2026-27 school year for children attending preschool that year. Contact the preschool you’re interested in to see if they have space. If they do, they’ll assist you with the enrollment process, including filling out the state universal preschool application. If you don’t have a preschool in mind, you can browse an online list of universal preschool providers on the state’s application website. What do I need to fill out the state preschool application? You’ll need to provide an email address or phone number to create an account and start your online preschool application. Families who believe their children may qualify for 30 hours also need to know the amount of their gross monthly or gross annual income. The application is available in English and 10 other languages, including Spanish, French, Arabic, and Hindi. I have a child who will be 3 by Oct. 1, 2026. Should I complete the application? If your child has an Individualized Education Program or IEP, yes. Otherwise, parents of 3-year-olds should contact their local school district to find out if they qualify for tuition-free preschool. My child has a disability. Should I complete the application? Yes. Families with a child who will be 3 or 4 next school year and has a special education plan — also known as an Individualized Education Program, or IEP — should fill out the state preschool application. Be sure to check “yes” in response to the question about whether the child has an active Individualized Education Program. The local school district will contact families about the enrollment and placement process. Most preschoolers with IEPs will be placed in classrooms run by their school districts. Parents who are worried their preschooler may be delayed in speech, learning, or development, but don’t have a diagnosis or IEP, should contact Child Find, a state program that screens children suspected of having a disability. Check this list for Child Find coordinators by region. Can I pick my 4-year-old’s preschool? Yes. More than 2,000 preschools across Colorado are part of the universal program. Families who don’t qualify for preregistration or want a program other than the one their child currently attends will be asked on the state application to pick up to five preschools. They can rank their choices. Options include school-based preschools, faith-based preschools, preschool programs inside child care centers, and state-licensed home-based programs. This year, more than 75% of families were matched with their first choice preschool. There are some cases where preschool providers can turn down a universal preschool applicant. For example, a school-based preschool might turn away a child who lives outside district boundaries. Can I pick my 3-year-old’s preschool? Possibly, but you won’t have as many choices as 4-year-olds do. It all depends on your school district since districts are in charge of placing 3-year-old preschoolers. Some districts primarily serve 3-year-olds in district-run classrooms while others work with community child care programs to serve 3-year-olds. Do I have to fill out my district’s school choice form too? Families who want to send their child to a preschool run by their school district may have to fill out two applications: the district school choice form and the state universal preschool application. If you’re not sure if your district has a school choice form or if you are required to fill it out, contact your district. What if I need more hours than what my preschooler is eligible for? You can still pay for extra hours above and beyond what the state covers for free, as long as the preschool offers more hours. You can also see if you qualify for financial help through other means, such as the state’s child care subsidy program or a local tuition assistance program like the Denver Preschool Program. Here’s a rundown of the options. I have more questions. What should I do? Contact the local group that’s coordinating the universal preschool program in your county or region. Here’s a county-by-county list of all the groups — the state calls them Local Coordinating Organizations or LCOs — with email addresses. You can also contact the state’s help desk from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. Monday through Friday. The number is 303-866-5223 and interpretation is available in over 100 languages. Families can also email the help desk at universalpreschool@state.co.us or submit an online form at help.upk.colorado.gov. Ann Schimke is a senior reporter at Chalkbeat. Contact Ann at aschimke@chalkbeat.org.

An hour before a scheduled court hearing on two federal lawsuits over recent changes to a key federal homelessness and housing funding program, the Trump administration withdrew the funding notice that prompted the litigation. The move came as a surprise to the attorneys for plaintiffs who were initially scheduled to make their case for a […]

မြန်မာစံတော်ချိန် နံနက် ၆ နာရီကနေ ၇ နာရီထိ (၁) နာရီကြာ ထုတ်လွှင့်နေတဲ့ ဒီရေဒီယိုအစီအစဉ်မှာ မြန်မာ၊ ဒေသတွင်းနဲ့ နိုင်ငံတကာသတင်းနဲ့ သတင်းဆောင်းပါးတွေ သီတင်းပတ်စဉ်ကဏ္ဍတွေကို နားဆင်နိုင်ပါတယ်။

The federal government will provide $12 billion to U.S. farmers who have been hurt by “unfair market disruption,” President Donald Trump said at a White House roundtable event Monday. Trump said repeatedly the funding was available thanks to tariff revenues, framing his aggressive trade policy as a boon to farmers rather than a drag on […]

The federal government will provide $12 billion to U.S. farmers who have been hurt by “unfair market disruption,” President Donald Trump said at a White House roundtable event Monday. Trump said repeatedly the funding was available thanks to tariff revenues, framing his aggressive trade policy as a boon to farmers rather than a drag on […]

Representatives of Montana’s farming sector had mixed reactions after President Donald Trump unveiled a $12 billion farm-aid package aimed at helping U.S. producers — particularly those hit hard by the tariffs and subsequent trade war, rising input prices, falling crop prices and uncertainty about foreign markets. The post Mixed reactions in Montana to Trump’s $12 billion aid for farmers appeared first on Montana Free Press.

The Democrat is seeking county office after state lawmakers adopted a new congressional map that drew him out of his district.

(The Center Square) - A new bill in Congress seeks to make public transit systems across the country, including those in California, safer and more affordable. The Safe and Affordable Transit Act would create new federal grants that would pay for more police officers who patrol public transit systems, according to the summary of the bill. The legislation is also intended to cover transportation infrastructure upgrades. The ultimate aim is to reduce crime on public transit, cut costs for local agencies and increase rider confidence, said U.S. Rep. Laura Friedman, D-Burbank. “Safety on transit is often cited by riders as a concern,” the California congresswoman told The Center Square on Monday. “Getting people onto transit, which is convenient and less expensive, makes people's quality of life better. It gives people choices, and there’s a lot of reasons why making sure people have access to safe, reliable public transit is important.” The bill would also ensure that the costs of upgrades to transit systems wouldn’t fall on local agencies to fund them, Friedman said. She explained the legislation would bring federal money to pay for police officers and safety upgrades. “Our agencies are already cash-strapped,” Friedman said. “We don’t fund transit well in this country at all, and we don’t fund it nearly to the level that we fund other types of transportation infrastructure. Agencies always struggle to keep their fares low and still have enough money for operations.” Approximately $50 million a year would be allocated to funding security and infrastructure upgrades for public transit systems, according to the bill summary. Friedman said it would be funded by general fund dollars. Friedman told The Center Square the $50 million threshold is a starting point and that more money could be allocated by Congress. The bill is co-sponsored by Rep. Nicole Malliotakis, R-New York, giving it the potential to generate bipartisan support. However, there is some skepticism that it will pass, given the political climate in Washington, D.C., according to one of California’s Democratic legislators. “The likelihood of being able to get it through Congress and signed by the president is not high,” said state Sen. Dave Cortese, D-San Jose and chair of the Senate Transportation Committee. “But the idea is very sound," Cortese told The Center Square. "Those kinds of grants are something we can use, especially here in the Bay Area on things like the BART system.” According to numbers from the Federal Transit Administration, assaults on public transit workers nationwide increased between fiscal year 2014 and fiscal year 2024. Between April 2023 and January 2025, 4.5% of assaults on transit workers were injury-only events, 29.7% were categorized as physical assault events and 65.8% were non-physical assaults. Lawmakers interviewed by The Center Square on Monday identified the safety of both the public and transit workers as a high priority in public transit legislation. “There’s an issue of funding, and a lot of times, transit operators don’t have the resources to ensure they’re keeping folks safe and the security’s there,” Assemblymember Lori Wilson, D-Suisun City and chair of the Assembly Transportation Committee, told The Center Square. Employees of the California Department of Transportation, the California Transportation Commission and the California State Transportation Agency did not respond to requests for comment. “BART has been tracking Rep. Friedman’s H.R. 6298 (also known as the Safe and Affordable Transit Act) since it was introduced two weeks ago,” read a statement emailed to The Center Square from Chris Filippi, the communications director for the Bay Area Rapid Transit System. “An initial analysis by BART staff of the funding provided in the bill indicate potential opportunities to support the BART Police Department’s hiring efforts and other investments in safety infrastructure.” Local elected leaders and staff in Los Angeles, Los Angeles County, the city and county of San Francisco, and the city of San Jose were not available to answer questions on Monday. While districts in urban areas throughout the state might see the most money, representatives of rural areas also want to see benefits from federal transit legislation, one Republican lawmaker told The Center Square on Monday. “Making transportation more affordable and safer is important, especially for communities in my district,” said Assemblymember Juan Alanis, R-Modesto. “Our region is large and very rural, which means transportation options can be scarce compared to urban areas, such as the Bay Area and San Francisco. As a former law enforcement officer, I believe we must also ensure that passengers feel safe when they are taking public transportation. We need good bipartisan solutions. This measure furthers that goal.”

WASHINGTON — The U.S. Supreme Court appeared ready to expand presidential power after hearing a case Monday on whether President Donald Trump can hire and fire members of independent federal agencies without cause. The high court’s decision, expected by the end of the term in late June, could heighten presidential influence over agencies created by […]

包括法國在內的八個歐洲國家周一致信歐盟，呼籲歐盟“加強”對希音等平台的監管行動。

包括法国在内的八个欧洲国家周一致信欧盟，呼吁欧盟“加强”对希音等平台的监管行动。

The federal government will provide $12 billion to U.S. farmers who have been hurt by “unfair market disruption,” President Donald Trump said at a White House roundtable event Monday. Trump said repeatedly the funding was available thanks to tariff revenues, framing his aggressive trade policy as a boon to farmers rather than a drag on […]

The Cross Border Xpress, also called Puerta de las Californias (Door to the Californias) has now been in operation for ten years.

The federal government will provide $12 billion to U.S. farmers who have been hurt by “unfair market disruption,” President Donald Trump said at a White House roundtable event Monday. Trump said repeatedly the funding was available thanks to tariff revenues, framing his aggressive trade policy as a boon to farmers rather than a drag on […]

就法國總統馬克龍剛剛對中國進行的國事訪問，法國世界報發表社論表示，儘管馬克龍在國事訪問期間與中方進行了頗為友好的交流，但是，在與中國的關係中，自身衰弱的歐洲始終難以對中國產生真正的影響力。中國認為自己是美國唯一的、強大的對手。

就法国总统马克龙刚刚对中国进行的国事访问，法国世界报发表社论表示，尽管马克龙在国事访问期间与中方进行了颇为友好的交流，但是，在与中国的关系中，自身衰弱的欧洲始终难以对中国产生真正的影响力。中国认为自己是美国唯一的、强大的对手。

I’m on a quest to find out how the federal government plans to interpret hydrogen sulfide gas data from the polluted Tijuana River Valley. The way they do could impact health guidance for the public.   The post Environment Report: How Much Toxic Gas Is Too Much? Nobody Seems to Agree. appeared first on Voice of San Diego.

Las encuestas reflejan cómo Feijóo y Abascal afianzan su ventaja sobre la izquierda por el desgaste de Sánchez, la fragmentación del espacio progresista y la capitalización del malestar político por parte de la ultraderecha.

El Servicio Nacional de Prevención y Respuesta ante Desastres (SENAPRED) declaró alerta roja para la comuna de Curarrehue, en la Región de La Araucanía, por un incendio forestal que se registra en la Reserva Nacional de Villarrica provocado por tormentas eléctricas. El inicio de la emergencia fue a consecuencia de dos rayos que cayeron sobre … Continua leyendo "Declaran alerta roja para la comuna de Curarrehue por incendio forestal" The post Declaran alerta roja para la comuna de Curarrehue por incendio forestal appeared first on BioBioChile.

El exministro cubano de Economía y Planificación Alejandro Gil fue sentenciado a cadena perpetua por varios delitos, entre ellos espionaje, cohecho y sustracción y daño de documentos u otros objetos, informó este lunes el Tribunal Supremo Popular de Cuba. Los jueces también consideraron culpable a Gil por daño de documentos u otros objetos en custodia … Continua leyendo "Exministro de Economía y Planificación de Cuba es sentenciado a cadena perpetua" The post Exministro de Economía y Planificación de Cuba es sentenciado a cadena perpetua appeared first on BioBioChile.