COLORADO — For the third year in a row, Colorado is postponing quality standards for Universal Preschool (UPK).
The program gives four year olds in Colorado at least 15 hours per week of free preschool. As part of that, the state was supposed to require schools to have quality standards, which include the following:
- a 20 student cap on class sizes
- certain curriculum requirements
- additional teacher training
Those rules were initially supposed to take effect when the program launched in the summer of 2023, but amid challenges with the rollout, they were pushed back to 2024, then to 2025.
Chalkbeat Colorado is now reporting a state advisory committee voted to postpone the requirement again until July, 2026. They report the state is behind on some key tasks that are necessary to put the rules in place.
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Massive search effort underway in Colorado for 2 missing hunters
For several days, a search effort has been underway for two missing hunters in southern Colorado. According to the Conejos County Sheriff's office, they responded to the Rio De Los Pinos Trailhead to make contact with two people who were reported overdue while elk hunting on Sept. 13.
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