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Media Room
Denver Preschool Program Names New CEO: Jennifer Landrum
Jennifer Landrum, the Vice President of Early Childhood Initiatives at the Colorado Children’s Campaign, has been named the new Chief Executive Officer of the Denver Preschool Program.Denver Preschool Program Releases 5-Year Report
The Denver Preschool program is proud to announce the release of our 5-year report! Nearly 70% of Denver’s 4-year-olds access preschool every year thanks to DPP tuition support. We’ve expanded the pool of high-quality preschools across the city. And, most importantly, the vast majority of DPP graduates are ready for kindergarten – academically, socially and emotionally.
Click below to download a copy of the report:
INFORME QUINQUENALPARA LA COMUNIDAD
New Faces on Denver Preschool Program Boards - News Bites, March 2013
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Board of Directors with Arthur Gonzalez, CEO of Denver Health, and David Cole of David J. Cole & Associates, a local government and community relations consulting firm. 
The mayoral appointments, recently approved by City Council, replace attorney John Plotkin, Tandy Dilworth, a senior policy strategist at Xcel Energy, and Diana Romero Campbell, Director of School Readiness at Mile High United Way. 
who know that preschool matters. The goal is academic success — la meta es “éxito academic” says Betty C.de Baca in 
February News Bites
Rocky Mountain Early Childhood Conference - March 1 + 2
Patricia Kuhl, whose research on early language and brain development was recently featured in the Wall Street Journal,
will be a keynote speaker at the second Rocky Mountain Early Childhood
Conference (RMECC) March 1 and 2 at the Colorado Convention Center.
Co-sponsored by the Denver Preschool Program, RMECC will feature
presentations by more than 300 early childhood experts and
practitioners. Click here
to register for the conference and here for a listing of presentations
of particular interest to the business and policy communities.  Early Childhood Advocacy Day - Thursday, February 28
 Obama Proposes Universal Preschool
 The President noted that nationally “fewer than 3 in 10 four-year-olds are enrolled in a high-quality preschool program.” Here in Denver - and thanks to the DPP investment - that number is greater than 6 in 10. The White House is calling for a “federal-state partnership to provide all low- and moderate-income four-year old children with high-quality preschool, while also expanding these programs to reach additional children from middle class families and incentivizing full-day kindergarten policies.” Details of financing through federal-state cost sharing remain vague, but the Presidents says the investment “will help close America’s school readiness gap and ensure that children have the chance to enter kindergarten ready for success.” To read the full report, click here. First DPP Preschool Showcase Attracts Over 1,000  
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President Obama Proposes Universal Preschool
Today President Obama released more details on his proposal - first outlined in Tuesday's State of the Union address - to work with states “to make high-quality preschool available to every child in America.”
The President noted that “fewer than 3 in 10 four-year-olds are enrolled in a high-quality preschool program.” Here in Denver - and thanks to the DPP investment - that number is greater than 6 in 10.
The White House is calling for a “federal-state partnership to provide all low- and moderate-income four-year-old children with high-quality preschool, while also expanding these programs to reach additional children from middle class families and incentivizing full-day kindergarten policies.” Details of financing through federal-state cost sharing remain vague, but the President says the investment “will help close America’s school readiness gap and ensure that children have the chance to enter kindergarten ready for success.” To read the full report, click here.
Your Search for Quality Preschool Starts Here.
You have taken the first step in finding the right preschool for your child by starting now. Our Preschool Checklist will help you begin the sometimes daunting search and provide you with some context as you navigate the world of early childhood. The checklist is meant to provide you with a high level overview of how to find a preschool. Please click the links below to download your copy today:
Preschool Checklist (English)
Preschool Checklist (Spanish)
Don't forget to visit our Find a Preschool tool, where you can search the more than 250 sites spread across the city. Each site has contact information for you. Please note that each of our preschools sites are independently rated for quality, the quality rating is a 4 star system that helps you to narrow your search and get a feel for the sites.
Vote Now for the 2013 Preschool One Book, One Denver Selection!
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The Denver Preschool Program is once again teaming up with the State of Colorado to bring you Preschool One Book, One Denver/One Book 4 Colorado, and we are excited to announce that the public book selection process for 2013 has now begun! This year’s top three book choices are:
Chicka Chicka Boom Boom by Bill Martin Jr. and John Archambault
Between now and January 31st, we encourage you and your families to cast your vote by following this link to celebrity readings of all three books in English and Spanish. |
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First Annual Preschool Showcase - January 12th, 2013
Looking for Preschool?
Let the Denver Preschool Program Guide You During The 2013 Preschool Showcase!
Please join up to 1,000 other Denver parents as the Denver Preschool Program showcases up to 250 of its high-quality preschool classrooms available and assists Denver parents with the best selection for their preschoolers!
The showcase will also include workshops and resources for parents as they navigate the world of early childhood.
WHEN: Saturday, January 12, 2013
WHERE: Tivoli Turnhalle (Auraria Campus)
TIME: 9 a.m. – 1 p.m.
COST: FREE
Light refreshments will be served, and family-friendly activities provided.
For more information or to register for any one of the many workshops that will be offered, please contact Ellen Baskerville at ellen@dpp.org.
DPP December News Bites
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Denver Preschool Program Marks Fifth Anniversary with Major Achievement Milestones
303.297.9000
sburks@burkscomm.com
DENVER – More graduates of the Denver Preschool Program (DPP) attending kindergarten in Denver Public Schools are reading at or above grade level than district kindergarteners overall, according to a recent independent study of the 2006 tax-funded initiative.
Confirming previous evaluations, the research also concludes that the vast majority of Denver Preschool Program graduates are ready for school, both academically and socio-emotionally.
“Results were particularly striking for literacy and math assessments,” reports researcher Mary Maguire Klute, Ph.D., of the University of Colorado, Denver. About three-quarters of children scored at the average or above in the spring of their preschool year, 50 percent better than would be expected in the general population.
English language learners and other children at risk of falling behind in school due to poverty are showing evidence of making progress toward closing the achievement gap by the end of preschool, Klute notes. Reflecting national trends, children from lower-income families made larger gains than their higher-income counterparts in two of the three academic assessments administered in English.
“This research echoes what we know from decades of research – high-quality preschool prepares all children for kindergarten and beyond, especially those who are most likely to start behind and stay behind,” observes Eileen Piper, CEO of the Denver Preschool Program.
Celebrating additional milestones during its fifth full year of operation, the Denver Preschool Program has:
• Served more than 25,000 children;
• Extended over $40 million in tuition support to help all Denver’s families access the high-quality preschool of their choice;
• Enabled more than 250 preschools across the metro area to be independently rated for quality so that families can choose the best alternative for their child; and
• Improved preschool quality by investing in coaching, materials and professional development for participating programs.
“Promoting high-quality preschool is equally important to providing access,” said Piper, noting that more than 90 percent of DPP children are now enrolled in top-quality preschools. “Research has shown that quality is key to the benefits of preschool.”
The Denver Preschool Program has had a “large impact on professional development for preschool staff, the number of staff at each preschool, and the curriculum at a preschool,” according to Denver analysts Augenblick, Palaich and Associates, Inc. (APA). “Preschools work hard to achieve high ratings.” The work has apparently paid off, with 85% of preschools earning one of two top quality ratings.
In other findings:
• Teachers gave more than 95 percent of DPP children high marks for positive behaviors such as forming secure relationships with adults, taking initiative, and demonstrating self-control. Teachers identified behavioral problems as an area of concern for only about 6% of children, far less than the 16% that would be expected.
• An increasing number of parents report that preschool is allowing them to work or attend school, APA noted from family surveys.
• Since the Denver Preschool Program came into existence, quality reputation has grown to become the number one factor parents are considering while making their
preschool choice, outranking such factors as cost and location.
In 2006, Denver voters approved a 12-cent sales tax on a $100 purchase to fund preschool tuition support, giving all Denver families access to high-quality preschool. Denver families with a child in the last year of preschool before kindergarten can choose from a wide variety of preschools, public and community-based.
An Evaluation Fact Sheet is also available in English and Spanish.