Colorado would pay for full day Kindergarten for all students under a bill advanced by a committee of lawmakers on Monday.
Currently the state pays for half-day kindergarten and local districts and parents, if they can afford it, make up the rest. The bill, with a $243 million price tag, faces an uphill battle. But bill supporters say the investment will pay off.
"We don’t invest in our kids now, we pay the consequences later," said Democratic Rep. Rhonda Fields.
The bill now goes to the House Appropriations Committee.
Meanwhile, Senate lawmakers killed a bill to let voters decide whether to help schools with their $5 billion shortfall. Originally the bill would have let voters decide on whether to fund full-day kindergarten.
