Colorado Charter Schools

About

In the state of Colorado charter schools are public schools that operate via a contract with an authorizer such as the local school district or, in some cases, the Colorado Charter School Institute. Our office administers the Colorado Charter School Startup and Implementation grant, which provides technical assistance to charter schools and authorizers, processes waiver requests for the State Board of Education, collects data on charter schools, produces special topic studies and the state evaluation of charter schools, and responds to questions from the general public. See more information on the CCSP Grant.

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News & Updates

Join Us: New* Rural/Non Metro Charter Forum Wednesday April 5th 4.00PM-5.00PM*

The Unit of Schools of Choice is convening a Rural/Non-Metro Charter Leader Forum to bring together charter school leaders and stakeholders to exchange innovative ideas and problem-solve common issues in the field. This will also be an opportunity to provide feedback to the Schools of Choice unit regarding desired professional development opportunities, technical assistance, and resources. Our first session will feature guests Roxie Mitchell from CC-Live and Dr. Robert Fulton from the UNC Colorado Center for Rural Education who will tell us about innovative approaches to staffing challenges. Register here.

Join Us: Spring 2023 Equity Convening, Monday April 3^rd 9.00AM-3.30PM

Please join the Schools of Choice Unit in partnership with the Colorado League of Charter Schools for the Spring Equity Convening, “Equitable Access to School Choice: Transportation Innovation. During this 1-day in-person convening charter school leaders and authorizers will explore how local and national charter schools, authorizers, and partners are supporting transportation innovations. The Spring 2023 Equity Convening will spotlight approaches including: Inclusive district transportation agreements, local charter school transportation models, and potential solutions to common transportation barriers. This event will be in-person at Vanguard Classical School- East Campus, 17101 E Ohio Dr, Aurora. Register Here

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.

Four Day School Week

The Annual Four-Day School Week application is open. School districts operating a four-day school week, fewer than 160 scheduled days per school year, are required to submit a request for approval each year.
To be considered for the 2023-24 school year, complete the application via the Directory in Data Pipeline by Wednesday, May 10. Districts requesting approval are not obligated to follow their proposed calendar if their local planning is not finalized. Districts accredited with a Priority Improvement Plan or accredited with a Turnaround Plan submitting a district-wide application for all schools within the district must submit additional information to the Field Services and Support Office via a webform in addition to submitting the four-day application through Data Pipeline. CDE will review the additional materials for the use and prioritization of instructional time. The executive director of field services and the associate commissioner of school quality and support must recommend approval of the application before it is forwarded to the commissioner for consideration.
Visit the Year-Round Collections Directory webpage for additional information.

2023 Teaching and Learning CoLab dates

The dates and host sites for this summer's Teaching and Learning CoLabs are:

Thursday, June 1 in Grand Junction hosted by Colorado Mesa University.
Wednesday, June 14 in Greeley hosted by the University of Northern Colorado.
To be scheduled in Pueblo hosted by CSU-Pueblo.

The Teaching and Learning CoLabs are one-day, multi-disciplinary, regional professional development meetings developed in partnership with Colorado's higher education institutions, professional teaching organizations and CDE. This year's content areas are expanding to include English Language Arts, math, health, PE, science, computer science, social studies, visual and performing arts and school leadership. Schools are encouraged to attend a CoLab in teams, with teachers representing multiple grades and content areas. For More Information, Contact: Jamie Hurley, Ph.D. Office of Standards and Instructional Support; Phone: 303-866-6453, Email: hurley_j@cde.state.co.us

Opportunity, Access and Inclusion Resources

Brain Injury Awareness Month

It is estimated that in the US, over 2 million concussions occur each year in children under the age of 18. When schools have a Concussion Management Team, impacted students are supported early and can have quicker recoveries.
There are many free opportunities to educate yourself and school staff on how to support students who sustain a concussion. School personnel can take an active role in supporting all students who are impacted. Click Here for Additional Information

Learning for Justice

Learning for Justice provides free resources to educators—teachers, administrators, counselors and other practitioners—who work with children from kindergarten through high school. Educators use their materials to supplement the curriculum, to inform their practices, and to create civil and inclusive school communities where children are respected, valued and welcome participants.