Colorado Charter Schools

News & Updates

Join us for the Charter Development Summit Series #1: The Ups and Downs of Opening a Charter School in Colorado

When: October 19, 2023 from 12:00 p.m. to 1:00 p.m.

Join the Schools of Choice Unit for our first of three webinars in our Charter Development Summit Series (CDSS) as we explore the ups and downs of opening a charter school in Colorado. Dr. Jim Christensen will facilitate our conversation as we explore the steps to opening a charter school in Colorado and the importance of understanding community needs in the creation of a charter school. Amanda Marquez will tell us about her journey to open Be the Change High School in Adams 14. This webinar is open to charter school developers at all stages with a particular focus on those in the beginning stages.

Our Charter Development Summit Series (formerly known as Charter School Bootcamp) will take place over three webinars culminating in an in-person event on April 4th, 2023. This series provides guidance for charter school developers that are interested in opening, replicating or expanding charter schools in Colorado. Stay tuned for additional information on our upcoming webinars and in-person event.

RECRUITMENT NOTICE – Peer Reviewers for 2023 Colorado Charter School Program Grant Applications (CCSP)

The Schools of Choice (SOC) Unit at the Colorado Department of Education (CDE) is conducting the 2023 Colorado Charter School Program (CCSP) Start-up Grant Competition and is in need of a number of volunteers with experience in charter schools to read and review grant applications. This program provides grant funds and technical assistance for up to 4-years to new and expanding charter schools across all of Colorado. To learn more information about the CCSP Grant and upcoming competition visit http://www.cde.state.co.us/cdechart/grantprograms and/or send inquiries via email to SOC@cde.state.co.us.

Office of Culturally and Linguistically Diverse Education virtual workshop series

The Office of Culturally and Linguistically Diverse Education will offer a virtual workshop series delivered by authors Tan Huynh and Beth Skelton. The series is based on Huynh's and Skelton's book, Long-Term Success for Experienced Multilinguals and focuses on serving experienced multilinguals, the asset-based term for long-term English learners.
The workshops will consist of four live, multi-session book-study courses for educators teaching grades four through 12 who want to provide equitable learning experiences for experienced multilinguals. Upon completion of the sessions, participants will be eligible for 10 hours of CTE credit. The workshops will be offered in June and again in the fall. To learn more and to sign up for one of the two workshop series, visit the Professional Learning Opportunities webpage. For more information contact, Alice Collins at collins_al@cde.state.co.us, or Janet Turnmeyer at turnmeyer_j@cde.state.co.us

Charter School Governing Board Modules Updates

Charter School Board Training Modules have been updated and are now accessible on the Colorado League of Charter Schools learning management system (Freestone). We encourage all charter school governing board members to access these modules moving forward.

We recognize that many charter school boards, including CCSP sub-grantees, likely began and/or completing courses in the legacy training environment (eNet Learning). Schools will have access to these modules through September 30, 2023. Please see the latest guidance available for both platforms: Freestone | eNet Learning]

Early Childhood Council Leadership Alliance (ECCLA) Scholarship and Grant Opportunities

High quality early childhood settings begin with well-trained and well-prepared educators. The Early Childhood Council Leadership Alliance (ECCLA) currently offers several state-wide scholarship and grant opportunities for students who would like to earn a degree, certificate, or credential in early childhood education, and for home-based providers who are seeking funding to start up, expand, or maintain consistent operations for their family child care home facility.

ECCLA’s Back to Work Scholarship Program provides 1:1 career and college navigation and scholarship awards up to $2,500.00 that can be used for several different types of expenses - books, supplies, child care, and more!
ECCLA’s Concurrent Enrollment Scholarship is for high school students interested in earning college credits and experience in Early Childhood Education.
ECCLA’s Early Childhood Coach Credential Scholarship is available to help recipients complete the training requirements to earn a Colorado Coach Credential.
ECCLA’s Family Child Care Home Improvement Grant is available to help home-based providers start up, expand, or maintain consistent operations for their family child care home facility.
ECCLA’s Rural R.U.N. Scholarship Program provides career counseling and tuition support to early childhood professionals in rural communities seeking to earn early childhood credentials like ERS®, CLASS®, National Director Credential, Coaching Credential, and any of the ECE College Certificates.

ECCLA’s T.E.A.C.H. Early Childhood® Colorado Scholarship Program offers early childhood professionals a pathway to pursue higher education.

Opportunity, Access and Inclusion Resources

Western Educational Equity Assistance Center (WEEAC): Equity-Driven Strategies for Addressing Chronic Absence

With recent spikes in chronic absenteeism, what can teachers and education leaders, researchers, and policymakers do to re-engage students in the classroom—particularly students who have historically been marginalized? The Western Educational Equity Assistance Center (WEEAC) at WestEd invites you to the next three installments of Equity-Driven Strategies for Addressing Chronic Absence, a six-part webinar series designed to exchange research-based and community-informed ideas for increasing student attendance and engagement. Learn more at the links below and register today.

Increasing Attendance and Engagement for Black/African American Students

October 11, 2023 | 2 p.m.–3:30 p.m. PT

Visit the WEEAC registration page to attend: https://weeac.wested.org/event/equity-driven-strategies-for-addressing-chronic-absence-webinar-series-session-v/

Increasing Attendance and Engagement for Multilingual Learners

December 6, 2023 | 2 p.m.–3:30 p.m. PT

Visit the WEEAC registration page to attend: https://weeac.wested.org/event/equity-driven-strategies-for-addressing-chronic-absence-webinar-series-session-vi/