§ 22-28-104.3. Early Childhood At-Risk Enhancement (Ecare)

1. 1. Notwithstanding the number of children who may annually participate in the Colorado preschool program pursuant to section 22-28-104 (2)(a):
      1. For the 2013-14 budget year, an additional three thousand two hundred children may participate in the Colorado preschool program, for a total of twenty-three thousand three hundred sixty children who may participate in the Colorado preschool program for the 2013-14 budget year.
      2. For the 2014-15 budget year, and each budget year thereafter, an additional five thousand children may annually participate in the Colorado preschool program, for a total of twenty-eight thousand three hundred sixty children who may annually participate in the Colorado preschool program.
      3. For the 2018-19 budget year, and each budget year thereafter, an additional one thousand children may annually participate in the Colorado preschool program, for a total of twenty-nine thousand three hundred sixty children who may annually participate in the Colorado preschool program.
   2. The department shall allocate the authority to enroll the additional children in the same manner provided in section 22-28-104; except that the provisions of section 22-28-104 (2)(b) do not apply.
2. 1. Except as otherwise provided in subsection (2)(b) of this section, in allocating the authority to enroll children in the Colorado preschool program pursuant to this section, the department shall allow a school district to enroll a child in the program using two positions so that the child may attend a full-day preschool portion of the district’s preschool program or to use a preschool program position to enroll a child in a full day of the district’s existing full-day kindergarten educational program. In using two positions to allow a child to attend a full-day preschool portion of the school district’s preschool program, a district may use two preschool positions allocated pursuant to this section or may use a preschool position allocated pursuant to this section and a preschool position allocated pursuant to section 22-28-104. If a school district combines a preschool position allocated pursuant to this section with a preschool position allocated pursuant to section 22-28-104 to allow a child to attend full-day preschool, the department shall not include the preschool position allocated pursuant to section 22-28-104 in calculating the limitation on using positions for full-day preschool specified in section 22-28-104 (4)(b).
   2. For the 2019-20 budget year and each budget year thereafter, the department shall not allocate to a district, and a district shall not use, a preschool program position to enroll a child in a full day of the district’s full-day kindergarten educational program. A district that used a preschool program position to enroll a child in a full day of the district’s full-day kindergarten educational program in the 2018-19 budget year may retain the position in the 2019-20 budget year and budget years thereafter to enroll a child in the district’s preschool program to attend a half day or full day of preschool; except that, if the district does not enroll a sufficient number of children to use all of the retained preschool program positions in a budget year, the department shall redistribute the unused positions.
3. The Colorado preschool program positions that the department allocates to a school district pursuant to subsection (1) of this section and that are used to allow a child to attend a half day or full day of preschool through a district’s preschool program are subject to all of the requirements of this article; except that the provisions of section 22-28-104 (4)(b) do not apply to positions allocated pursuant to subsection (1) of this section.
4. and (5) Repealed.

Source: L. 2013: Entire section added, (SB 13-260), ch. 236, p. 1143, § 10, effective May 17. L. 2014: (1) amended, (HB 14-1298), ch. 244, p. 922, § 6, effective May 21. L. 2018: (1)(a)(III) added, (HB 18-1379), ch. 250, p. 1540, § 4, effective May 24; (5) added, (HB 18-1134), ch. 108, p. 798, § 1, effective August 8. L. 2019: (2) amended and (4) and (5) repealed, (HB 19-1262), ch. 245, p. 2393, § 2, effective May 21.