UPK Policy Procedure
Purpose:
To establish BCD protocols and procedures for working with families eligible for UPK reimbursements through the state of Colorado.
Who is eligible:
● Children attending BCD *can register for up to 15 hours per week of state-funded, high-quality preschool in the year prior to * Elementary School.
● *Families may qualify for more free hours based on a number of qualifying factors, per available funding.*
o Please note that BCD does not determine the eligibility criteria.
That criterion is processed by the state of Colorado.
● Is my child eligible:
o Eligible children must turn 4 by October 1st
o If a child turns 4 after October 1st, they are not eligible.
o If a child turns 5 before October 1st, they are not eligible
● Students who meet the age criteria must also be enrolled in BCD’s full time preschool program (5days until 3pm).
● If the age and full-time enrollment status are met, students must then be in a class in our preschool building.
o The State of Colorado requires that the student attend the specific school that holds the preschool license. For that reason, students who are enrolled in Transitional Kindergarten are ineligible to receive UPK funds.
How do I enroll my child:
You can enroll for the current school year using this link and clicking on the “Apply Now” option.
My child has been accepted and enrolled, now what:
Once BCD has accepted your match, you must log in and accept the match once more. After this, BCD can officially enroll you, and the hard part is over!
When the school year starts in September, the state will provide the reimbursements directly to BCD monthly starting in September.
Why does the school get your UPK reimbursement? UPK funds get reimbursed directly to BCD as the State of Colorado wants to relieve the tax burden our families would otherwise incur. By sending the refunds directly to BCD, you’re able to receive the full reimbursement without having money taken out for taxes.
How will my reimbursement get to me:
Once the school receives reimbursements, we will do one of the following based on the payment plan you’ve chosen for tuition:
● 1 Month Payment Plan
o For our families that have paid for tuition in one lump sum, we will provide reimbursements for UPK to you monthly via check in the mail starting near the end of September
o These reimbursements will continue monthly until BCD has received your full reimbursement amount from the State of Colorado.
● 1 Month Payment Plan with a Financial Scholarship from BCD
o For our families that have paid for tuition in one lump sum but also received a Financial Scholarship from BCD for your child who is receiving the UPK refund, we will supplement the scholarship you received with UPK.
o This means that we will not be issuing you a reimbursement, unless the reimbursements exceed the amount of the scholarship you received.
o As BCD values a collaborative environment and good communication, we understand the importance of including updated information to our families and intend to keep you informed of the refund received monthly.
▪ We will do that by sending you a message via ParentSquare.
o If your reimbursements exceed the amount of the Financial Scholarship you received from BCD, we will begin to issue the remaining refunds to you via check in the mail monthly until BCD has received your full reimbursement amount from the State of Colorado.
● 2 Month Payment Plan
o For our families that have paid for tuition in two lump sums (assuming both payments are made by August 1st), we will provide reimbursements for UPK to you monthly via check in the mail starting near the end of September.
o These reimbursements will continue monthly until BCD has received your full reimbursement amount from the State of Colorado.
● 2 Month Payment Plan with a Financial Scholarship from BCD
o For our families that have paid for tuition in two lump sums (assuming both payments are made by August 1st) and your child also received a Financial Scholarship from BCD for your child who is receiving the UPK refund, we will supplement the scholarship you received with UPK.
o This means that we will not be issuing you a reimbursement, unless the reimbursements exceed the amount of the scholarship you received.
o As BCD values a collaborative environment and good communication, we understand the importance of including updated information to our families and intend to keep you informed of the refund received monthly.
▪ We will do that by sending you a message via ParentSquare.
o If your reimbursements exceed the amount of the Financial Scholarship you received from BCD, we will begin to issue the remaining refunds to you via check in the mail monthly until BCD has received your full reimbursement amount from the State of Colorado.
● Monthly Payment Plans (more than two months)
o For our families that have a monthly payment plan set up, we will apply the monthly UPK reimbursement to your tuition balance for the following month after we’ve received it.
o For example, we anticipate receiving a reimbursement for UPK in the month of September, the amount that the school is reimbursed for will then be applied as payment in your tuition portal for your October balance.
▪ When that happens, BCD will prompt the system to notify you that a payment has been received (that should arrive via the email linked to your account).
▪ When you receive your invoice for the following month, you’ll see a deduction for the tuition balance as the UPK refund will be applied as payment towards that balance.
o Once the tuition balance is paid, we’ll then start to process any additional UPK refunds via check in the mail.
o These reimbursements will continue monthly until BCD has received your full reimbursement amount from the State of Colorado.
● Monthly Payment Plans (more than two months) with a Financial Scholarship from BCD
o For our families that have a monthly payment plan set up and who also receive a Financial Scholarship from BCD for your child who is receiving the UPK refund, we will supplement the scholarship you received with UPK.
o This means that we will not be issuing you a reimbursement, unless the reimbursements exceed the amount of the scholarship you received.
o As BCD values a collaborative environment and good communication, we understand the importance of including updated information to our families and intend to keep you informed of the refund received monthly.
▪ We will do that by sending you a message via ParentSquare.
o If the amount of your UPK refund exceeds the scholarship amount and you still have monthly payments left, we will then apply the refund to your tuition balance monthly.
▪ For example, we anticipate receiving a reimbursement for UPK in the month of October, and we’ve applied the full UPK amount to your scholarship, any additional UPK received at that time would then be applied as payment against your child’s tuition balance.
▪ When that happens, BCD will prompt the system to notify you that a payment has been received (that should arrive via the email linked to your tuition portal account).
▪ When you receive your invoice for the following month, you’ll see a deduction for the tuition balance as the UPK refund will be applied as payment towards that balance.
o Once the tuition balance is paid in full, any additional UPK refunds that BCD receives will then be issued to you by check via mail for the remainder of the UPK refunds that we receive.
Who at BCD should I direct my questions to:
● Program eligibility and enrollment questions should be directed to our Head of Preschool.
● Reimbursements related to tuition should be directed at the Accounting Manager.
We are always happy to help clear up any questions that you might have, so please feel free to reach out to either person!
NOTE: Anything in this document that is italicized and has an asterisk at the beginning and end was quoted directly from the CDEC website. If you would like more information that they’ve published, please find the link to the UPK Parent Family Handbook provided by the state of Colorado, it is a useful resource.