Eligibility

Preschool is for children two years before they are eligible for kindergarten. Children must be 3 by Oct 1 of the school year.

PreK is for children the year before they are eligible for kindergarten. Children must be 4 by Oct. 1 of the school year.

Lewis-Palmer School District participates in Colorado's Universal Preschool (UPK) program that offers free, voluntary PreK for children the year before they are eligible for kindergarten and qualified 3-year-olds. Students who turn 5 years old by October 1 are eligible for kindergarten and are not eligible for the PreK program.

Application Steps

1. Complete the Intent to Enroll in 2025-26 form. You will be contacted with further instructions when a seat is available for your child beginning January 6, 2025.  For preschool, the initial intent to enroll window is December 17, 2024, through January 6, 2025. Applications received during this period will be given priority, and if necessary, students will be placed using a lottery system. Priority is given to Lewis-Palmer School District 38 residents and employees. Applications received after this period will be placed according to availability.

2. Colorado UPK Participants:

   • Beginning December 17, 2024, complete the Colorado UPK Application at upk.colorado.gov. All new and returning students must complete the application. 

   • Accept your school match through Colorado UPK beginning in February 2025.

3. Enroll in Lewis-Palmer School District (online) beginning February 18, 2025. Instructions for completing the online enrollment process will be emailed.

4. Additional Preschool Forms Packet (or Additional Preschool Forms Packet in Spanish) will be emailed to you in May. Preschool-specific forms required by licensing must be completed before starting school.

Tuition

Colorado’s UPK program: Families eligible to enroll in the Colorado Universal PreK program must complete the Universal PreK Family Application at upk.colorado.gov. Please select the Lewis-Palmer site you wish to attend. We recommend selecting several D38 sites in case a class fills.

When your family has been matched to a site, you must accept the match within the provided timeline to retain your seat.

UPK Pre-Registration:

• December 17 - February 3: Pre-registration application window for families requesting Continuity of Care placements, sibling attending, or child of an employee.

• February 3 - 10:  Families must accept pre-registration matches.

• December 17 - February 5: Registration through upk.colorado.gov opens for families.

• February 24: Families notified of first-round matches. Families must accept or decline by March 3.

• March 24: Families notified of second-round matches. Families must accept or decline by March 31

• April 1 until the end of the 2025–26 school year: Direct enrollment for families directly through Lewis-Palmer School District.

You can find more information about Universal Preschool at the following websites:

• Joint Initiatives & Universal Preschool 

• Department of Early Childhood & Universal Preschool

Tuition for the 2025-26 school year

Preschool families (students who are two years before kindergarten) pay tuition. Tuition is $3105.00 and paid in 9 monthly payments of $345.00. 

PreK families who qualify for 15 hours of UPK and attend the full-day program pay tuition for the additional 15 hours of programming. Tuition is $4500.00 and paid in 9 monthly payments of $500.00. Families who qualify for 30 hours of UPK do not pay tuition.

Deposit to secure a seat: When a family is offered a spot, the family is required to complete the enrollment process, sign the tuition agreement, and pay a $175 non-refundable deposit to secure their spot. The deposit is applied to the first month's tuition. For families enrolling after the first of the school year, tuition will be pro-rated. 

Monthly payments are due on the first of the month from August through April. If tuition is not paid by the 10th of the month, the child will be disenrolled from the program.

Scholarships: If your 3-year-old child does not have an IEP, but meets one of the UPK qualifying factors or previously had an Individualized Family Service Plan (IFSP), you can apply for one of the limited scholarships by completing an application and sending it to mgibson-steiner@lewispalmer.org.

• Lewis-Palmer Early Childhood Preschool Scholarship Application

• Spanish Lewis-Palmer Early Childhood Preschool Scholarship Application

Early Childhood Program Priority Placement Guideline:

Lewis-Palmer Early Childhood program provides equitable enrollment for all D38 families. The program prioritizes enrollment for students using the following guidelines.

For students who qualify for special education, recommended program placement is determined with parents during the Individualized Education Plan (IEP) meeting. For transfers, after reviewing the IEP, the Child Find Coordinator collaborates with district personnel and the family to determine placement.

For general education students who qualify for UPK, parents prioritize the preferred site. Enrollment decisions are made according to the following:

1. Students currently enrolled in a Lewis-Palmer early childhood program.

2. Students with siblings who will continue enrollment in the early childhood program or the same elementary school.

3. Families who live in the Lewis-Palmer School District and children of staff members.

4. If space is available, consideration may be given to out-of-district families.

For tuition-paying families, enrollment is offered based on space availability and parent preference.