Govs Get It Done: Colorado Governor Jared Polis Signs Free, Full-Day Kindergarten into Law

Yesterday, Democratic Colorado Gov. Jared Polis signed legislation delivering free, full-day kindergarten across the state. The law, which is the first of its kind in Colorado, will fully fund universal full-day public kindergarten and will save caregivers up to $500 a month in tuition fees. Universal free, full-day kindergarten was a top campaign pledge of Gov. Polis.
Read coverage of the new law and see how Gov. Polis is getting things done in Colorado:
KKTV CBS 11: “Full-day kindergarten bill for Colorado signed into law”
This fall the state of Colorado is offering funding to families for full-day kindergarten after Gov. Jared Polis signed HB19-1262 into law on Tuesday. Funds were set aside by the Joint Budget Committee in March, as the law is also expected to free up more than 5,000 preschool slots. Gov. Polis also signed HB19-1055 into law, providing $25 million to help school districts with kindergarten and preschool implementation costs such as furniture and equipment this year.
HPPR: “Gov. Polis Signs Full-Day Kindergarten Bill”
The kindergarten funding was Polis’ top legislative priority this session. Lawmakers from both parties ultimately agreed to spend $175 million to fund it. Polis said the funding will prevent more students from repeating grades and save parents and school districts money.
CBS 4: “‘Something Great For Our State’: Mother Elated With Full-Day Kindergarten Law”
A young mother in Fort Collins is praising Gov. Jared Polis for making free, full-day kindergarten the law of Colorado. “He’s doing something great for our state,” Kristina Peterson, a mother of two, said, fighting back tears. “It makes me cry that he’s doing this for families that don’t have any other way to provide education.”
ChalkBeat: “Polis signs full-day kindergarten bill into law”
Fulfilling a key campaign promise, Gov. Jared Polis on Tuesday signed into law a bill funding full-day kindergarten to much pomp  — complete with the North High School marching band — at a ceremony at Stedman Elementary in Denver. “Whether it’s about allowing a second parent the flexibility to return to work sooner, or whether it’s about making sure we truly invest in our kids and our future in every family of Colorado, this ceremony today represents the end result of an enormous amount of hard work from our legislators, early childhood advocates, educators (and) community members,” Polis said.
NBC 9 News: “Governor signs bill to fund full-day kindergarten”
Gov. Jared Polis’ (D-Colorado) first promise after taking office was to start full-day kindergarten covered by state tax dollars and on Tuesday he did that by signing a bill to provide access to all students across the state. The Colorado State Senate unanimously voted in late April to send a bill funding universal full-day kindergarten in Colorado to Gov. Polis’ desk.