Media Room

Looking for a unique opportunity to work with a small, dynamic nonprofit? Wanting to gain firsthand experience helping to implement an important public policy initiative? Click here for further details on DPP's internship opening. We look forward to hearing from you soon!

Web site: www.ecconference.com

The Denver Preschool Program (DPP) is proud to announce that we are partnering with the Colorado Head Start Association (CHSA), the Colorado Association for the Education of Young Children (CAEYC), and the Early Childhood Education Association of Colorado (ECEAC) to present the first-ever Rocky Mountain Early Childhood Conference on April 15th and 16th, 2011! This premier professional development event will take place at the Colorado Convention Center in downtown Denver and promises to attract some of ECE’s foremost thought leaders, policymakers and practitioners. Anchoring the event will be two prestigious keynotes: Mr. Geoffrey Canada, President and CEO of the Harlem Children’s Zone, and Dr. Jerlean Daniel, Executive Director of the National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC). In addition to these nationally-renowned speakers, the conference will include a number of high-quality presentations on the various facets of ECE. Please visit www.ecconference.com for up-to-the-minute conference updates, and we look forward to seeing you in Denver in April!

Dear Providers:

We're happy to offer you a new tool that you can choose to use to report your monthly attendance to DPP.

While you all must report attendance, no provider is required to use this new form. It's offered with the idea that it will provide some of you with a simpler, less time-consuming method of reporting. If the attendance reporting process that you have been using is easy for your program, then don't make any changes. We will continue to accept attendance reports in formats that you have used in the past.

Below find three attachments. The first provides simple directions to use the attendance reporting tool. The second is the reporting tool that you can use should you choose to fax the document to our offices. The final document is an Excel spreadsheet that you can complete each month and email to our offices.

Another positive change that we'll be rolling out this month is our End of Month reports that accompany your monthly payments. A team worked together to streamline this tool so that it better meets your needs. Many thanks to all of our providers who worked with us to update both the Attendance Form and the End of Month report!

We welcome feedback as you experiment with both tools. If you have any questions about the form, DPP student attendance, or monthly payments, don't hesitate to call us at 303-595-4DPP (4377).

Sincerely,

Eileen Piper

No media download found.

Monthly Attendance Reporting Form (Word) (84 KB)

Monthly Attendance Reporting Form (Excel) (58 KB)

Click aquí para Español

Dear Parents,

The Denver Preschool Program (DPP) would like to thank you for letting us play a small role in your child’s education. We take our role seriously, which makes it very difficult when we need to communicate program changes.

We have all been subject in some manner to the effects of the recent economic decline. The Denver Preschool Program is no different. In 2009, sales tax revenues were down 15% from original estimates projected the year before. This, coupled with several other critical factors has forced us to make some difficult budget decisions in order to maintain the program’s sustainability and its intent to improve the overall educational success of Denver’s children.

DPP has made the difficult decision to discontinue all tuition credit funding for the summer months of June, July, and August. You will soon be receiving a letter in the mail that is specific to your situation, but we wanted to alert you to this situation as soon as possible.

If you have any questions at all, you may contact our offices at (303) 595-4DPP.

We are truly sorry for the timing and nature of this announcement. We understand the impact that this will have on families. Again, we appreciate your participation in the Denver Preschool Program.

Sincerely

James Mejía
CEO, Denver Preschool Program

Let’s Read!

The Denver Preschool Program (DPP) and the Denver Office of Cultural Affairs (DOCA) have announced the selection for Preschool One Book, One Denver 2010. Beginning April 14, 2010, many of Denver’s preschoolers will begin reading “The Very Hungry Caterpillar” by Eric Carle.

This marks the second consecutive year that DPP and DOCA have hosted a citywide book club for young children. As in 2009, this year’s effort will include public readings by Mayor John Hickenlooper and other local celebrities, on-­‐site readings at several DPP enrolled preschools, and book donations to DPP classrooms.

The 2010 program will last 14 days and conclude on Wednesday, April 28.

“We’re very fortunate to have the Kaplan Early Learning Company and the Piton Foundation’s support for Preschool One Book, One Denver 2010,” says James Mejia, DPP chief executive officer. “Thanks to their generous contributions, we are able to distribute 1,200 copies of ‘The Very Hungry Caterpillar’ free to DPP classrooms.”

“The Very Hungry Caterpillar” was first published in 1969. Since then, it’s been a perennial favorite of parents and children alike. More than 30 million copies of the book have been sold, and the story has been translated into 20 languages.

Mejia says Denver’s early education community was instrumental in selecting this year’s book. First, members of DPP’s advisory board created a list of potential selections.

“We then took those options to the field,” Mejia says. “More than 150 quality-­‐rated preschool providers participate in DPP, so we were able to ask proven early education experts for their recommendations. The providers cast their votes, and they selected ‘The Very Hungry Caterpillar.’

“As a father of three young children, and as an adult who’s read this book aloud many times, I can say this is a marvelous choice,” Mejia adds.

Preschool One Book, One Denver 2010 details are being finalized now.

A complete calendar of events will be posted on the DPP Web site (www.dpp.org) in the next few days.

Inspire Preschool Signs on as Milestone Preschool, Expanding Families’ Options for High‐Quality Preschool in Denver

With the addition of Inspire Preschool, Denver Preschool Program (DPP) has reached another milestone in its efforts to make quality early childhood education available to all Denver families. The addition of Inspire Preschool boosts DPP’s growing network of preschools to 150 providers.

The significance of this achievement reaches well beyond the 150th milestone, pointing to the strides DPP has made in increasing access to quality preschool in Denver: With 150 providers now participating in DPP, families seeking to enroll in DPP can choose from more than 250 preschool sites across the city. These 250‐plus sites offer more than 550 classrooms, each of which is focused on delivering high‐quality preschool education to Denver’s children. Furthermore, DPP has enrolled 85 percent of the city’s eligible preschool “centers” – the provider types with the most capacity to serve Denver families.

Additional providers that recently have enrolled in DPP include Cachitos Day Care Home, Children’s House of Stapleton and Notre Dame Early Learning Center. Including Inspire Preschool, this short list of DPP providers represents the diversity of quality preschool available through DPP – ensuring each family is able to choose the type of program that meets their needs.

“Increasing provider enrollment is essential to our goal of making quality preschool available to every family in Denver, and DPP is proud to welcome Inspire Preschool into the continually expanding program,” said James Mejía, chief executive officer for DPP. “Before DPP, half of our preschool providers had never participated in any kind of quality improvement process. Today, DPP providers boast an average rating of three out of four stars – which means children enrolled in DPP preschools are receiving a quality education that will better prepare them for kindergarten and beyond.”

Participation in DPP is open to all provider types: for‐profit, non‐profit, public and private providers. Preschool providers participating in DPP must agree to participate in DPP’s qualityrating system, and subsequently are eligible to receive quality‐improvement grants that can be used for classroom materials and supplies, professional development and coaching. In this way, DPP enhances the quality of the preschool experience for all children in the classroom.

"Having just opened the doors of our exciting new preschool program, we are thrilled to be part of DPP. We are a unique, play‐based part‐time program that embraces the Reggio Emilia approach to early childhood education of all children, including children with special needs," remarked Katie Thompson and Sharon Prairie, co‐directors of Inspire Preschool. "We intend to use the quality improvement dollars provided to us by DPP to enhance the ‘hundred languages of children’ by purchasing a light table for our children to creatively explore the wonders of light and shadow. We also intend to purchase materials to enhance math and science experiences including large incline blocks, pendulums, gears and pulleys."