Frequently Asked Questions
You can call or visit our office. However, we recommend completing our pre-application online. Once we receive your pre-application we will follow up with you informing you if you qualify or with the next steps necessary to complete the application.
What do I need to bring to apply for the program?
- Your Child’s Birth Certificate
- Your Child’s Immunization record or signed exemption forms*
- Proof of your family’s income from the previous 12 months (i.e. W-2’s, income tax forms, 12 months of pay stubs, written employer letter, LES statements, TANF award letter, SSI, SS, foster care, school grants, unemployment, child support, or alimony)
Verification if you receive TANF, SSI, SNAP or child is in foster/kinship care as those are automatic qualifiers.
*Our Health and Nutrition Department strongly encourages parents to bring annual physical and immunization records/signed exemption forms at time of application. We accept applications and place children in class year-round.
If you don’t have access to one or more of these items, please call our office at (719) 635-1536 so that we can work with you to find adequate documentation.
Do I need to provide medical care plans or immunization records?
If your child has a medical care plan or uses medication your child will not be allowed to start class until you provide those documents. Additionally, if a copy of your child’s immunization record is not provided or up-to-date within 14 days of starting class they will not be allowed to continue in class.
Do the children get a snack/meal while in class? Who provides the snack?
CPCD participates in the USDA food program, CACFP, and follows guidelines in providing your children with healthy meals and snacks through a catering service. Depending on how long your child is in class each day, he/she will receive a minimum of a snack. Children who are served in an extended day program will receive two meals and a snack. We appreciate your feedback on the food that is served to your children.
What is the purpose of a home visit?
Home visits are an opportunity for making connections between the home and the classroom setting, identifying learning opportunities in the home environment, and focusing on individualized attention with your family and child. Our staff are also able to provide information on community resources and offer family support.
What times and days are the children in class?
In our center-based Head Start program for 3-5 year olds, children attend four days a week (Monday through Thursday) for 8 hours per day. CPCD offers morning and afternoon half-day programs in some Universal Preschool Program classrooms. In our year-round classrooms for Early Head Start, children attend 8 hours per day, 4 days a week. All models include home visits. Full-day, full-year Head Start and Early Head Start services are available at our partner sites (Early Connections Learning Centers, family child care homes, and Little Tykes) for families who need this type of care.
What do the children learn in the program?
Our primary curriculum is the Creative Curriculum. Teachers use developmentally appropriate practices to teach social/emotional, literacy, language, cognitive, and physical skills. Other instructional resources such as “Pyramid Plus,” pedestrian safety, and nutrition activities are incorporated into lesson plans. Children have a play-based experience focused on their specific developmental needs. All children, regardless of ability, are included in the classroom.
Will my child be behind if they do not start in August?
Curriculum in all CPCD classrooms is individualized to meet the learning needs of each unique child, whether or not they begin at the start of the school year.
What is the staff to student ratio?
All CPCD classrooms are staffed to meet or exceed Colorado Department of Human Services staffing ratios. In Early Head Start the ratio is 2 staff to 8 children. In Head Start and UPK classrooms the ratio is 2 staff to 15 children.
How soon will my student need a physical?
All of our classrooms are licensed through the State of Colorado. Licensing requires each child to have a physical as soon as he/she starts in the classroom and then once a year. Up-to-date immunizations or a signed exemption form are also required within 2 weeks of starting in the classroom. If your child has asthma, seizures, severe allergies, a special diet, or required medication during school hours, you will need to bring paperwork from the doctor and medication to the teacher on his/her first day of class. A registered nurse is assigned to each classroom and can help you with any of these needs.
Can my student receive transportation?
We offer limited transportation at various bus stop locations in some Head Start classrooms.
Does my child have to be potty trained to be accepted?
No. CPCD does not expect children to be potty trained to attend programming. Staff partners with parents to support children and families who are ready to potty train. CPCD provides diapers for children who are not yet potty trained or are going through the potty training process.