group of preschool students hugging and smiling on the playground

2026-27 Preschool Application Process

Denver Public Schools

November 20, 2025

Preschool, also called Early Childhood Education or ECE, helps young children develop mentally, socially and emotionally, and DPS is proud to offer half- and full-day preschool at more than 80 DPS schools.

If you’re planning to enroll your child in a preschool program next fall, be sure to take all the necessary steps for the best chance of getting matched to your preferred program!

Apply for ECE-3

Children who turn 3 years old on or before Oct. 1, 2026 are eligible for ECE-3 for the 2026-27 school year. To apply:

  1. Submit a DPS SchoolChoice application between 10 a.m. on Dec. 2, 2025 a.m. and 4 p.m. Jan. 20, 2026.

  2. If your student has an Individualized Education Program (IEP), complete the Colorado Universal Preschool application to apply for funding. If your student does not have an IEP, no additional application is needed.

Families who submitted the SchoolChoice application during the Round 1 window will be notified of their school assignment and any waitlist placements in late February.

Apply for ECE-4

Children who turn 4 years old on or before Oct. 1, 2026 are eligible for ECE-4 for the 2026-27 school year. All 4-year-olds in Colorado are eligible for up to 15 hours per week of tuition-free preschool in the year before kindergarten through the Colorado Universal Preschool program, also known as Universal Pre-K (UPK). Some families may qualify for additional funding based on a number of qualifying factors.

Because the matching process is based on the ranked list submitted through UPK (not SchoolChoice), families must submit the UPK and DPS SchoolChoice applications.

To apply for ECE-4:

  1. Submit a UPK application during the first matching round for the best chance of getting matched to your preferred school. The first family matching round is open from Dec. 9, 2025 to Feb. 2, 2026.

  2. Submit a DPS SchoolChoice application during Round 1 and select “Universal Preschool Colorado” as the school. to notify Denver Public Schools of your intent to enroll in an ECE-4 program next year. Round 1 is open from 10 a.m. on Dec. 2, 2025 to 4 p.m. on Jan. 20, 2026.

If your student has an Individualized Education Program, the UPK application will ask you to submit it without making school selections. This is expected and you should submit the application anyway. Please also complete the ECE-4 Parent Preference Survey to provide your input regarding the location determination process.

UPK Pre-Registration

The first round of UPK is open from Dec. 9, 2025 to Feb. 2, 2026. A process called "pre-registration" happens simultaneously during this round, and is for families who:

  • Are requesting Continuity of Care (their child is currently attending ECE-3 at the school they wish to attend next year).

  • Have a sibling attending that school.

  • Have a child of a school employee at the school they're applying to.

The pre-registration process is first-come, first-served. This means that if you qualify for pre-registration, you should submit the UPK application as soon as possible once it opens. If you submit your UPK application during this time, you'll be notified of your match on Feb. 2 and you must accept or decline your offered seat by Feb. 11.

Learn More

Use the School Finder to explore preschool programs near you and find more information about the application process on the SchoolChoice website and at upk.colorado.gov. If you have any questions, please contact one of these offices: