§ 26.5-1-110 — Unified application - child care, services, and education

(1) The
department shall develop and implement the use of a single, unified electronic
application for families to use in applying for all publicly funded early childhood
programs and services that the department administers. The department shall
design the application to enable equitable access; streamline the enrollment and
eligibility-determination process for families, providers, and state, local, and tribal
agencies; and meet the requirements specified in subsection (2) of this section. The
department shall collaborate with other state, local, and tribal agencies as
necessary in developing, and collecting feedback concerning, the application to
ensure the least amount of duplication for families and state, local, and tribal
agencies. The department shall ensure that the application is functional by July 1,
2023, for families seeking to enroll children in the Colorado universal preschool
program pursuant to part 2 of article 4 of this title 26.5.

(2) At a minimum, the unified application must:

(a) Be available in multiple languages;

(b) Be accessible on mobile electronic devices and available in paper copy;

(c) Collect from families only the minimum information necessary to apply
for programs and services and enable families to apply for a single program or
service or for multiple programs and services simultaneously or over time;

(d) Adhere to all state and federal data privacy and security laws and
regulations;

(e) Reduce duplication in and the complexity of the information collected
from providers;

(f) Include consideration of all sources from which the applicant may be
eligible for funding to ensure that all of the funding for which the applicant is
eligible is combined and coordinated to the fullest extent allowed under state and
federal laws and regulations in providing the programs and services for which the
applicant is applying;

(g) Allow for customization as may be necessary for certain programs or
services; and

(h) Coordinate with other agencies and programs, as appropriate, to ensure
appropriate referral of children and families to early childhood programs
administered by other departments.

(3) A county department shall not add additional required eligibility criteria
to the application or redetermination process.

Legislative History

Source: L. 2022: Entire section added, (HB 22-1295), ch. 123, p. 577, � 2, effective April 25. L. 2024: (3) added, (HB 24-1223), ch. 390, p. 2696, � 2, effective June 4.