Ann Schimke

Ann Schimke covers healthy school topics and early childhood issues for Chalkbeat Colorado. She's written for The Washington Post as well as newspapers in Michigan, Virginia and Colorado. She holds a master’s degree in education policy from the University of Michigan. She joined Chalkbeat (then EdNews Colorado) in 2012.

Colorado argues in court for dismissal of universal preschool lawsuit

May 2, 2024 at 12:17 p.m.

A lawyer for the state of Colorado argued in court Tuesday that a lawsuit filed by six school districts and other education groups over the state’s new universal preschool program...

Four-year-olds in Colorado's universal preschool program dance on first day of school at the Auraria Early Learning Center in Denver. (Ann Schimke, Chalkbeat)

Is 24 preschoolers in a classroom too many? Colorado will soon decide.

February 24, 2024 at 6:00 a.m.

Last fall, state leaders appeared ready to phase in the 20-student class size and 1-to-10 ratio limits by 2025. But they’ve faced months of pushback, mostly from private preschool providers.

Students gather for the first day of universal preschool at King Baptist Child Development Center and Preschool in Denver in September. (Ann Schimke/Chalkbeat)

Colorado backs off proposed ban on religious instruction in state-funded preschool

January 5, 2024 at 9:54 a.m.

Colorado officials leading the state’s new universal preschool program removed an explicit ban on religious instruction during universal preschool hours.

Colorado Catholic preschools make their case at trial challenging nondiscrimination rules

January 3, 2024 at 10:31 a.m.

Enrolling preschoolers from LGBTQ families would conflict with the religious beliefs and obligations of Catholic preschools, attorneys for two Denver-area Catholic parishes said Tuesday as the trial began in a...

A teacher works with children during a Saturday bilingual preschool class run by Armenians of Colorado in the spring of 2023. (Courtesy of Armenians of Colorado)

How Colorado used COVID early childhood aid to spark innovation

December 22, 2023 at 10:53 a.m.

Much of the federal relief aid sent to Colorado’s child care providers during the pandemic helped keep doors open and businesses solvent.

Teacher Corrie Haynes holds up a picture during a preschool class at Landmark Preschool in Grand Junction, Colorado. (Ann Schimke / Chalkbeat)

Proposed ban on religious instruction in Colorado’s state-funded preschools may spark legal fight

December 1, 2023 at 9:50 a.m.

Colorado explicitly invited faith-based preschools to participate in its new $322 million universal preschool program, which despite a rocky rollout has proven popular with families. But state officials have sent...

Early childhood teacher Tami Ramnitz leads her class out onto the playground as preschoolers spend part of their first week getting to know new friends at Beck Preschool inside the Beck Recreation Center on Aug. 29, 2017 in Aurora.

Colorado backtracks on full-time preschool for 11,000 kids with risk factors

November 29, 2023 at 12:51 p.m.

Colorado’s universal preschool plan called for children with risk factors to get up to 30 hours a week at no cost to their families, provided there was enough money. It...

Preschooler, Luke Van de Sande, right, ...

Are there enough free preschool seats for Colorado 4-year-olds? It depends.

April 27, 2023 at 12:30 p.m.

State officials expect only about half of Colorado’s 4-year-olds -- around 31,000 children — to participate in the first year.

Shena Lopez, an attendance advocate at ...

When students don’t show up at Colorado schools, attendance detectives are on the case

August 28, 2022 at 6:00 a.m.

The Greeley-Evans district in northern Colorado is one of many school districts nationwide using federal COVID-19 dollars to fund attendance-boosting efforts.

These 48 public schools in Denver still don’t have air conditioning

August 25, 2022 at 8:21 a.m.

School started in Denver on Monday, and with temperatures climbing into the high 80s this week, 48 campuses still don’t have air conditioning.

All Stories