LittleRoadsCo.Colorado
Classroom materials for Colorado's Colorado Universal Preschool programs
Colorado launched Universal Preschool in 2023, making it one of the newest states to offer free preschool to all four-year-olds. That means brand new classrooms are being set up right now, and directors are making first-time material purchases for environments that will be assessed through Colorado Shines, the state's QRIS. The Colorado Dept of Early Childhood oversees both UPK and the quality rating system. The Colorado Early Learning and Development Guidelines reference community connection in the classroom environment.
What Colorado Shines expects from your classroom
Colorado's UPK launch is creating greenfield classrooms. Directors who are building environments from scratch have a rare opportunity to get the community-connection piece right from day one rather than retrofitting later. A community rug is one of the first purchases that makes sense for a new classroom because it establishes geographic specificity immediately. When the Colorado Shines assessor walks in for the first time, the rug demonstrates that this classroom was designed for this community, not assembled from a generic catalog.
For Denver Metro, Colorado Springs, Boulder, Fort Collins, Pueblo, and beyond
Every Colorado community has its own layout, landmarks, and character. A rug from one city shows completely different streets and buildings than one from another. That specificity is what quality assessors look for when they evaluate community connection in the classroom. Whether your program is in a major metro area or a smaller community, the rug features your neighborhood. Your school at the center, surrounded by the streets and landmarks your children recognize.
See how your school's neighborhood looks as a rug
Enter your school's address and we'll generate a custom illustration of the surrounding neighborhood. Real streets, local landmarks, your building at the center.