CO SB119

Creates a new State Board of Early Childhood Services (9 members appointed by the Governor) to replace the executive director's rule-making authority for the Department of Early Childhood, with initial appointments required by August 15, 2025

Removes Local Coordinating Organizations (LCOs) from participating in the Colorado Universal Preschool Program effective June 1, 2026, though LCOs will continue supporting family applications for other early childhood services and workforce recruitment

Grants preschool providers and administrative units direct administrative access to the unified application system to help families enroll children and manage their preschool program applications without requiring department or LCO assistance

Changes educator-to-child ratio and group size requirements from alignment with "national best practices" to alignment with state licensing standards, and requires the department to coordinate with preschool providers before adopting new ratio rules

Requires the department to distribute preschool program funding to providers in advance of services based on enrollment data, rather than after services are provided