Preschoolers at Alicia Sanchez Elementary in Lafayette recently took turns decorating their favorite letters with paint, feathers, poms poms and foam shapes in preparation for a “letter fashion show” to celebrate learning the whole alphabet through daily literacy lessons.

Walker picked “F” because he loves frogs, plus snails and slugs. Samir chose “O” because he was intrigued by the idea of dressing as an octopus.

“If we know our letters, then we can read,” teacher Nichole Villa said.

As she worked with a small group of students on decorating, the other 3- and 4-year-olds in the 18-student class played at various centers with the help of two paraeducators. One group played school while other students colored, built towers from blocks and splashed in a large bin filled with water and toys.

As they played, the adults helped them with skills like naming colors, counting and sharing. One encouraged a girl to “use your words, say I don’t like that” when a classmate made a grab for a coveted toy, while another offered a sand-filled timer to help two boys negotiate sharing a truck.

More time, for bigger projects and for students to fully immerse themselves in a world of play, is a big advantage of the new full-day preschool model the Boulder Valley School District is piloting at Sanchez, teachers said. Students have two sessions of play-based center time, literacy lessons, music and movement, storytime, two recesses, quiet time, and breakfast, snack and lunch.

“We do a lot in our day,” Villa said. “We can work on different skills every day. There’s more time to work on math and literacy one-on-one. We have more opportunities to integrate literacy into the classroom. We have a lot more transitions. They’re just getting so good at the transitions. It really prepares them for kindergarten.”Sanchez Elementary School is piloting the six-hour-a-day, five-day-a-week preschool schedule in two classrooms as Boulder Valley tries to solve the puzzle of the best configuration to meet family needs and align with the state’s new Universal Preschool program.

The program is in its second year and provides up to 15 hours of free preschool for all 4-year-olds and up to 30 hours for 4-year-olds with certain risk factors. Parents who enroll can choose from school-based programs, community-based programs and home providers.

But while more 4-year-olds now are attend preschool in the state, the program isn’t without implementation challenges and trade-offs.

One of those challenges for Boulder Valley is how to configure its preschool program within the universal preschool parameters and reimbursement rates.

Last year, Boulder Valley tried offering a full school day of preschool on either Mondays and Thursdays or Tuesdays and Fridays, giving families two days totaling 15 tuition-free hours a week.

More than half the schools also offered an additional two full days of tuition-based enrichment and an afternoon enrichment class on Wednesdays. Wednesday mornings were used for staff collaboration.

But, district officials said, some teachers said that two days a week wasn’t enough to provide the consistency their students needed. Instead, teachers reported that it often felt like “starting over” each week, noting that it was difficult to build a regular routine, there was less instructional time and it was more challenging to schedule special education services.

So this year, the district moved to half-day preschool five days a week, for three hours a day, in the morning or afternoon. Many schools also offer a half-day enrichment session five days a week, for four hours a day.

Families who don’t qualify for 30 hours of preschool through the state pay tuition for enrichment sessions.

Sanchez Principal Becky McKay agreed to try a full day model, which equals 30 hours a week. Many of the school’s families with 4-year-olds qualify for the full 30 hours through the universal preschool program. For those that don’t or who have 3-year-olds and need assistance, Impact on Education has helped provide scholarships.

“I see it as such a better model,” McKay said. “It makes it easier to understand student needs and offer quality services. These students are going to have such an advantage in kindergarten.”

The main difference at Sanchez, is, the whole day is taught by the same two teachers, who are certified in both early childhood and special education. All the district’s preschool teachers during the regular sessions are required to be dual-certified, but teachers for enrichment sessions don’t need the same certifications.

Villa, at Sanchez, said the consistency of staying in the same classroom with the same teacher makes a difference. So does having paraeducators who receive training to work with students in special education. Two of the four preschool paras also are bilingual, allowing them to add in Spanish vocabulary for the second language learners. She added that the full day makes it easier to schedule speech, occupational and other therapists.

“Some of our students had zero letter knowledge when they came in,” she said. “Now they already know the full alphabet. I’m impressed.”

While more 4-year-olds are going to preschool in the state now than before the universal preschool program started, preschool enrollment dropped this fall in Boulder Valley, from 871 students in the fall of 2023 to 753 students this fall. The St. Vrain Valley School District declined to provide this fall’s preschool numbers before the state releases its official enrollment count in December.

In about 200 conversations with families, Boulder Valley officials said that 42% said the family didn’t enroll a child because of a lack of full day or extended day options. Another 24% didn’t enroll because of a lack of funding for 3-year-olds, while 17% chose a private preschool for undisclosed reasons and 11% moved out of the district.

Boulder Valley officials said Boulder County’s preschool market is oversaturated, with more licensed spots available than preschoolers. And, while the state’s move to universal preschool means more money for 4-year-olds, the state no longer has enough money to provide the same tuition help to at-risk 3 year olds as in the past.

“Every 4-year-old (child) gets preschool now, but it’s at the cost of 3-year-olds who may have really needed it,” Boulder Valley Early Childhood Education director Theresa Clements said.

Also no longer available is the main option for child care subsidies for low-income families in Boulder County. Boulder County hasn’t accepted new applicants to the Child Care Assistance Program, or CCAP, since March. Boulder County officials have said the county’s current level of child care spending far exceeds the funding provided through the state and isn’t sustainable, prompting a freeze.

Balancing the number of students in a classroom who receive special education services is another challenge.

School districts, by law, are responsible for providing special education services to all 3- and 4-year-olds. As fewer general education 3-year-olds have enrolled, that’s resulted in an increased the ratio of students receiving special education services. And to meet federal requirements, Boulder Valley’s preschool classes may not have more than 50% of its students receiving special education services.

This fall for its 3-year-old enrollment, the district counted 82 preschoolers not receiving special education services, compared to 169 preschoolers in 2023 and 262 preschoolers in 2022.

The overall ratio in Boulder Valley went from 33% of preschoolers receiving special education services last school year to 42% in the fall.

The district has capped special education preschool spots at some schools to stay within federal guidelines, requiring some families to send their preschoolers to schools outside their neighborhoods. And while some locations are full, others are at less than 50% capacity.

“Yes the need is out there, but it’s not centralized,” Boulder Valley Early Childhood Education Executive Director Emma Herzog said at a recent school board meeting. “It’s challenging to figure out how to make it work.”

Based on its promising early results, Boulder Valley plans to continue the Sanchez Elementary School pilot for a second year, giving the district time to look at data that includes how well the pilot students perform in kindergarten readiness measures.

Because the model is more expensive than providing a half day plus enrichment, district officials said, they need to know it’s making an impact before expanding it. The school district is already spending about $8 million from its general fund to cover the gap between the state’s universal preschool reimbursement rate and the cost of the program.

“To provide high quality services for young children, it’s expensive,” Clements said. “It’s a financial investment.”