Parent completes an application form for preschool and submits it to the Early Childhood Office located at the Early Childhood Center at 407 E. 42nd Street, Loveland, CO 80537. It can either be mailed or brought into the office.

• Tuition program
• Colorado Preschool Program, Head Start or Special Education 
• Colorado Preschool Program, Head Start or Special Education – (en espanol)

Upon receipt of an application, parent will be contacted to schedule a developmental screening appointment. Developmental screening is not automatically done for tuition pay applications, but it may be requested.

Applications are accepted year-round for Head Start and Colorado Preschool Program and will be placed on a wait list until an opening becomes available that they have qualified for (qualification is determined following the developmental screening). Parents will be contacted when an opening becomes available. 

Colorado Preschool Program children are placed based on the highest “risk factors” for the child and family, not on a first-come first-served basis. Parents are NOT guaranteed placement in our program due to limited space. There are 208 Colorado Preschool Program slots available. 

Head Start Program children need to meet the Federal income guidelines. Placement is determined based on household dynamics with the highest needs placed first. This is also not a first come first serve program as there are 139 Head Start slots available. 

Applications for Special Education services will be contacted for an evaluation with the Child Find Team and the child will be placed following their 3^rd birthday (if younger than 3 years old at the time of the evaluation) or, if they are already 3 or 4 years old, once all enrollment paperwork is turned in. The teacher will contact the parent at this point to set a start date. 

Head Start and Colorado Preschool Program Applications for the following school year are accepted throughout the year. The first round of placement for the next school year is completed by the end of May and acceptance letters will be mailed out by the end of June.

Developmental Screening Appointment

Parents will receive a call from an Early Childhood staff member to schedule a time to bring their child in for a developmental screening and to complete the application process. Parents will be required to bring in the following items to the developmental screening appointment once it is scheduled:

• • Birth Certificate
  • Immunization Records
  • Proof of Household Income (W-2, tax return for prior year or 3-6 months of pay stubs)
  • Proof of Residency (copy of Lease or a bill with parent name/address on it)
  • Paperwork provided by the Early Childhood office 

The developmental screening appointment takes approximately 1 to 1½ hours. 

Parents will be told before exiting the screening whether or not their child qualifies for one of our programs. Children may qualify for the program but space is limited and child may be put on a wait list. If there are developmental concerns, they will be given the opportunity to schedule an appointment for further assessment for Special Education services.  

Completing Enrollment 

Once a child has completed the developmental screening process and all required paperwork has been submitted to the Early Childhood Office, eligibility will be determined and the child is either placed in a classroom or on the wait list.

When an opening becomes available that the child is eligible for, parents will be contacted to complete registration/enrollment at the Early Childhood Office at an appointed date/time.

Required enrollment paperwork includes:

• All completed paperwork given to parent by Early Childhood Office
• Current physical

In addition to the above requirements, children enrolled in the Head Start program are required to submit:

• Lead test
• Hematocrit test
• Dental exam

The child will not be able to start until all requirements are met.

Returning 4 year olds 

Children who are in the program as 3 year olds and will be returning as a 4 year old do not need to apply again. The teacher will send home a re-enrollment packet for parents to complete and return before March 31st. 

Parents of children who are on the wait list as a 3 year old will receive a packet of paperwork to update the file. Once the completed paperwork is returned to the Early Childhood Office, the file will be considered complete and the child will be considered for placement for the following school year.