Denver Preschool Program

This spring, Denver Preschool Program President and CEO Elsa Holguin was inducted into the COLORADO WOMEN'S HALL OF FAME joining a distinguished group of trailblazers in early childhood education. She follows in the footsteps of past inductees, including Denver Preschool Program Board Chair Dr. Lydia M. Prado, PhD and Mile High Early Learning founder and DPP Board Emeritus Anna Jo Haynes. Congratulations on this incredible achievement! 🎉

Denver Preschool Program President and CEO Elsa Holguin and Vice President of Communications Irene Bonham traveled to Washington, D.C., this week to participate in New America's Early Childhood Education Implementation Working Group. During their visit, they engaged with other early childhood education leaders, took part in discussions on driving national policy change, and contributed to a panel on building broader community coalitions to support early childhood education along with Shayna N. Cook, Ed.D. from the Bainum Family Foundation, Anne Gunderson from the DC Fiscal Policy Institute, and Larrisa-lei Wilkinson from Pre-K 4 SA.

At Denver Preschool Program, we celebrate the invaluable contributions of women every day. In honor of Women’s History Month, our team reflected on the women who have inspired them to make a difference. Read more on our team's inspirations, words of wisdom, and ways to celebrate women every day at https://lnkd.in/giGTH7Pf Elsa Holguin Irene Bonham Dra. Cristal Cisneros

Over the past two decades, state-funded preschool enrollment for 4-year-olds jumped from 1.4 million in 2002 to 3.1 million in 2022. Yet, without strong federal investment, access to quality early learning remains uneven across the country. New America's Early Care and Education Implementation Working Group – including Denver Preschool Program President and CEO Elsa Holguin – looked at how preschool policies differ across states and how local efforts have helped shape state policies. Explore key insights on funding and policy below.

Join our team! Denver Preschool Program seeks an Operations Manager to help keep our office and operations running smoothly. This role includes managing budgets, data, office administration, and technology support to ensure our team can focus on expanding preschool access in Denver. Learn more and apply: https://lnkd.in/gPQ4Fsf6

For years, Denver Preschool Program has proudly partnered with Denver Art Museum to celebrate children at the annual Día del Niño Celebration 🎉. We’re excited to take part in the 23rd annual celebration on April 27, 2025, featuring a live, bilingual celebrity book reading. Join us in honoring the joy of childhood and the power of early learning. Check out more about Día del Niño and other family-friendly events at Denver Art Museum below.

Research consistently shows that high-quality early childhood education fosters healthy development, school readiness, and long-term success ✔️ It also supports families in entering and thriving in the workforce. However, to ensure more families can access these benefits, significant public investment is necessary. Learn more about the fundamentals of early childhood education and care, and the steps we can take to expand access, from Center for American Progress below.

Voter-approved tax funding can make a big difference in early education. Denver Preschool Program provided insights for the Children's Funding Project on the Last Vote to First Dollar Toolkit. The toolkit offers tips and advice for local teams as they transition from campaigning for voter-approved funds to implementation. Discover more and download the toolkit below.

Elsa Holguin, president and CEO of Denver Preschool Program, recently spoke with Dr. Lisa Roy, Executive Director of the Colorado Department of Early Childhood as part of New America's Early Care and Education Implementation Working Group. The discussion focused on the importance of state-level collaboration to create early childhood education strategies that address the needs of local communities. Learn more on why state and local partnerships in early childhood education matter at https://lnkd.in/e3aftQWZ

Denver Preschool Program is possible thanks to a voter-approved sales tax. Other communities have followed similar approaches to support early childhood education. And Aspen and Parachute aim to do the same. To tackle the high cost and limited availability of early childhood education in the Roaring Fork and Colorado River valleys, the Confluence Early Childhood Education Coalition is seeking approval for a 0.25% sales tax increase across the region, from Aspen to Parachute. If approved, this tax would raise approximately $10 million annually to support child care services in the area. Learn more in The Aspen Times below.