Metrixiq

Pictured here- Jenna Valaika- a new customer service lead at MetrixIQ!

Jenna is an experienced operations and service-oriented professional with a strong background in collaborative coordination. She thrives in diverse and fast-paced environments where she can add value to the team. Jenna will help the team by creating strategies and initiatives via developmental processes, identified customer needs and company vision.”

We're excited to grow our UPK and State Initiatives teams at Metrix. Check our new office space nearby in the historic Five Points neighborhood in Denver.

Meet Henry Lee, our new Early Childhood Program Specialist. Henry has six years of experience working in early childhood education. He previously worked with KinderCare Learning Centers as an educator and a program specialist. Henry is currently continuing his education at Metropolitan State University of Denver, studying cybersecurity. In his free time, he enjoys going on hikes, traveling, and surfing.

MetrixIQ recently worked with BridgeCare to launch a new streamlined online Denver Preschool Program (DPP) application. DPP funding is universal for all Denver preschoolers in the year before kindergarten, regardless of income. DPP also offers the Preschool for 3s program for Denver's lower-income families. Review eligibility criteria for both programs and apply at dpp.org.

Denver Preschool Program (DPP) | Denver, Colorado Denver Preschool Program (DPP) helps make preschool possible for families in Denver through tuition support & access to information. Learn more about DPP.

It is a very exciting time for early education. We are looking forward to the braiding and blending ECE funding to come more to the forefront with the introduction of UPK and believe there is a big opportunity to make these subsidy programs easier for providers to administer and families to access.

For general questions on UPK, this website from the state provides great info: https://cdec.colorado.gov/colorado-universal-preschool

Coming soon- more information and FAQs from MetrixIQ!

Congratulations to Paige Morandi on a recent promotion to Senior Director of State Initiatives. Paige has been with MetrixIQ for four years and in that time, she’s been integral in developing new programs and thinking outside the box to come up with unique and custom client solutions.

In her new role, Paige will oversee the operations that expand across the state. The state initiatives team will support our work with the Colorado Department of Early Childhood (CDEC) for grant funding, UPK payments, and early childhood educator credential programs. We also provide technical assistance and customer service on behalf of our UPK Local Coordinating Organization (LCO) partners, Denver Preschool Program and Triad Bright Futures.

We're Hiring!

We are a fast-growing company with exciting opportunities in the early childhood innovation sector. If you're looking for a mission-driven company and an energetic team—learn about MetrixIQ. Currently hiring for the roles of Universal Preschool Specialist, Denver Preschool Program Enrollment & Eligibility Specialist, Senior Finance & Program Manager-CO Universal Preschool Payments, and Lead Customer Service Agent. Apply today at: https://www.metrixiq.com/careers

Careers — MetrixIQ We're Hiring!

The second round of Universal Preschool matching is underway. We're very proud to be working with Colorado Department of Early Childhood as the UPK Colorado payment operations and technology vendor. We have 14 years of experience distributing public funding in early childhood education, and we're looking forward to being a part of this new program.

We're Hiring!

Looking for a company with a mission-driven backbone? Curious about early childhood innovation? Ready for a career with growth opportunities? Join us at MetrixIQ.

We are a fast-growing company with many exciting opportunities on the horizon. We’re seeking the right people to join our diverse and energetic team. Below are some of our current openings:

▶️ Senior Finance & Program Manager – CO Universal Preschool Payments

▶️ Universal Preschool Specialist

▶️ Lead Customer Service Agent (Bilingual preferred)

▶️ Denver Preschool Program Enrollment & Eligibility Specialist

Send us your resume if you are interested in the above roles: [email protected].

https://www.metrixiq.com/careers

Careers — MetrixIQ We're Hiring!

According to EdSurge, nearly 90% of brain growth happens before children start kindergarten. That’s why experts say high-quality care is so vital for small children. It’s also why the ongoing child care crisis is so worrisome and why the Biden administration is once again trying to address the issue on a national scale.

Is The Child Care Crisis Escalating? https://edsource.org/2023/is-the-child-care-crisis-escalating/689487

Is the child care crisis escalating? Maintaining a high quality of care is the bottom line, experts say. Simply expanding access to child care or lowering its costs is not enough to give children the head start they need.

MetrixIQ has helped process 5,074 student applications and 489 provider applications to expand access to high-quality preschool for low-income children in Cincinnati since 2017. Metrix has also processed 26,889 attendance entries, resulting in $13.2 million in tuition assistance payments to Cincinnati preschools on behalf of families.

MetrixIQ is excited to continue our work with the Colorado Department of Early Childhood as the UPK Colorado payment operations and technology vendor. Having distributed over $325 million in early childhood education funding, we look forward to using our expertise to ensure a smooth and accurate payment process for UPK Colorado and preschool providers across the state. The first UPK Colorado payment is expected to be distributed in August 2023.

The first-ever round of UPK Colorado matching is over, with families expected to learn of their preschooler’s match on Wednesday. Our team has supported many Denver providers and families through this process on behalf of Denver Preschool Program as the Local Coordinating Organization (LCO). This is why we love what we do at MetrixIQ – helping to pave the way for an innovative and thriving ECE community.

Recently at MetrixIQ, we’ve been discussing how investing in child care helps families, businesses and the economy. One additional benefit of strong child care is support of future generations. A recent care.com article stated:

“Supporting future generations: When we take into account all of the ways investing in child care benefits us, it’s easy to see how it creates a better society for future generations to be born into. In 2020, the general fertility rate fell 2% to 58.2 births per 1,000 women, it's lowest level since the US government began tracking this data. With no childcare infrastructure to support them, it is no surprise that Millennial and Gen Z adults are choosing to wait longer or not have children at all due to the financial burden of childcare.”

https://www.care.com/business/investments-in-child-care-pay-off/

How We'd All Benefit from an Investment in Child Care Care is the lynchpin that allows parents—and especially mothers—to remain in the workforce. Investments in care are investments in growth.

According to McKinsey/Marshal Plan for Moms data, working parents’ primary needs in child care fall into five categories:

1. Affordability
2. Reliability
3. Quality
4. Convenience
5. Accessibility

There are some companies that have already taken steps (small or large) to provide child care benefits, and they provide a range of options from stipends to reserved daycare slots. But the fact remains that by 2022, only about 7 percent of companies nationwide offered any kind of child care benefit.

Check out our sister company, Reten, and how this company can help businesses and providers alike with direct knowledge of government subsidies and aid.

Reten: www.mextrixiq.com/reten.

MetrixIQ transforms childcare and education policy into effectively implemented programs. To do that, we create collaborative, custom partnerships and approach each client with a team of proven consulting, technology and operations experts to offer a 360 view of the engagement.

See here our incredible team!

To learn more about what we do, read our case studies online: http://ow.ly/Exu650NCCzN

Last week, the Colorado Department of Early Childhood announced a delay in matching families with preschools until April 26th. Denver7 interviewed Elise Holguín, President of the Denver Preschool Program with questions voiced by parents.

DPP is pleased that the state has decided to expand and extend the deadline so that more families can receive matches that work.

See the full article here: http://ow.ly/RbEa50NCBGU

Universal preschool in Colorado: What the delay in matching means and what families need to know Denver7 has received concerns from families on the delay in matching in Colorado's universal preschool program. We followed up on those questions with the president of the Denver preschool program.

We are very excited to continue our work with The Cincinnati Preschool Promise (CPP). We are proud to partner with a nonprofit whose mission is to expand and ensure equitable access to high-quality preschools to prepare children for future schooling. MetrixIQ operates as the CPP eligibility, enrollment, and customer service center. We help distribute tuition assistance funds to families and support preschool providers to engage with CPP tuition assistance and quality improvement programs. Here’s to the next five years of supporting this incredible organization, early childhood providers, and families in our Cincinnati community for a thriving ECE system.

Last week Governor Jared Polis unveiled proposed legislation for a new $28 million initiative to improve student math scores over the next two years. The proposed bill is designed to provide math instruction for students’ pre-kindergarten through twelfth grade.

Full article: http://ow.ly/SWOe50NmQ38

Governor rolls out new legislative initiative to improve math scores | CLASS NOTES Gov. Jared Polis unveiled proposed legislation Tuesday for a new $28 million initiative to improve student math scores over the next two years.

Did you know we have a sister company, Reten, that provides child care as a benefit?

Reten works with companies to manage child care as a benefit on behalf of employers to connect families with childcare and the funds to help pay for it. What makes Reten different is our ability to multiply monthly employer contributions to maximize impact by leveraging available government funding.

More info: http://ow.ly/2tKW50NmQGW

Reten — MetrixIQ A new kind of benefit for today’s working families. Attract and retain top talent with Reten, an employer benefit that helps your team find and pay for child care. Employers lose $13 billion in productivity annually due to inadequate childcare 1 in 4 women consider leaving the workforce due to ina...

MetrixIQ attended the Denver's Early Childhood Council Conference last week and we were proud to be a part of the event that offered 100 workshops, top-notch keynote speakers, and professional development opportunities. It is always incredible to meet face-to-face with the industry we serve every day.

Important UPK Update!

28,000 families have signed up for UPK since the application launched, according to Colorado Department of Early Childhood. Since the program's launch, 150 additional providers have signed up to participate. From February 17-24, CDEC will allow families who have already selected their providers to reopen their application and reevaluate their choice of provider.

UPK UPDATE!

From a recent press release issued by the Colorado Department of Early Childhood:

The registration deadline for the first round of applications has been extended to February 24!

For families with three- or four-year-olds in need of special education preschool services,
please register on upk.colorado.gov and select if your child has an IEP. Families with
three-year-olds will then select the school district they live in and will be contacted by the school district directly to determine enrollment in a specific school. Every Colorado family with a four-year-old that wants to participate in UPK Colorado will be able to do so and CDEC anticipates a successful launch in the 2023-24 school year.

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Last month, our Grants team, who have been working on the Colorado Department of Early Childhood American Rescue Plan Act grant program all reached their one year milestones at the company! Together they have collectively helped to distribute over $250 million in early education in the state. Alexandra, Jordan, Taylor, Priscilla and DeAnna, congratulations on a year with the company, we look forward to growing together with you.

In an interview with Denver7 the Director of the Colorado Department of Early Childhood Lisa Roy, noted that her department will be extensively tracking data from the universal preschool program to gauge success and evolve. “We’ll look at what parent’s choices are-home-based, center-based, school-based, and use that data also to inform how we roll out our training and technical assistance. We really do believe in using data to make shifts and changes to better the program overall,” said Roy.

Full Interview: https://www.denver7.com/lifestyle/education/q-a-head-of-colorados-new-universal-preschool-program-talks-about-new-opportunity-for-parents

Q&A: Head of Colorado’s new universal preschool program talks about new opportunity for parents Denver7’s Nicole Brady sat down with its director, Lisa Roy, to talk about what this program is all about, who can benefit and how parents can take advantage of the program.

KinderCare's 2023 Parent Confidence report found that childcare support alleviates stress and increases parent confidence. 64% of parents said they are constantly thinking about childcare gaps, with half also noting that piecing together enough childcare coverage is a significant source of stress. Full report: http://ow.ly/gtSE50MKHBC

Parent Confidence Report 2022 | KinderCare Learning Companies New study confirms parent confidence on the rebound as parents look to the future of child care and work March 29, 2022 KinderCare's latest Parent Confidence Report shows that both parent confidence and stress levels are at an all-time high Parents of all political beliefs agree that child care is a...

We’re proud to work with the Denver Preschool Program to help Denver families get connected to the right preschool. DPP made a quick reference page online for parents who have questions about universal preschool. The first round of UPK applications closes Tuesday, February 14.

Universal PreK FAQs: https://dpp.org/upk/universal-preschool-faqs/

A 9NEWS (KUSA) story reported that over 850 providers have signed up to offer preschool openings for the new universal preschool program set to launch this fall. UPK will pay for 15 hours of preschool a week for most families. 9 News Story: http://ow.ly/5S3F50MEn8S

How to register for Colorado's new preschool program More than 850 providers have signed up to offer preschool openings for fall.

According to an article recently published by EdSurge, many of the early education providers that outlasted the pandemic have done so just to face additional assaults on their operations like educator burnout, staff shortages and enrollment reductions. “Inflation seems to be compounding many of those existing challenges.”

Full article: http://ow.ly/bwWV50MEmzT

#2023

How Inflation Is Squeezing Early Childhood Educators - EdSurge News Rationing heat, taking on extra jobs, dipping into savings, raising wages for staff — child care providers are using a mishmash of methods to manage ...

Repost from Colorado Children's Campaign: As the legislative session begins, Colorado Children’s Campaign is excited to share their 2023 policy priorities around early childhood, child & family health, family economic prosperity and youth success.

http://ow.ly/9V1650Myglz

The Universal Preschool rollout in Colorado has had a strong rollout with higher than anticipated application numbers in the first week. Lisa Roy, Executive Director of the Colorado Department of Early Childhood, noted that the enrollment numbers exceeded expectations and that the high numbers indicate family interest.

The Colorado Sun wrote more about the rollout recently: https://coloradosun.com/2023/01/18/colorado-universal-preschool-applications-2/

#2023

Colorado’s expanded preschool program received 12,000 applications on its first day — more than officials expected The Colorado Department of Early Childhood initially projected about 30,000 kids would enroll in the program in its first year.

K-12 Dive recently published an article with eight trends to watch in 2023 education. Among them are:

▶️ K-12 and early ed collaborations to strengthen efforts for school readiness, workforce recruitment, options for families and more
▶️ Teacher and staff shortage pressures continue
▶️ Test scores to show an uphill battle for academic recovery
▶️ Increased family engagement

Denver Preschool Program has a list of frequently asked questions about Universal Preschool In Denver. Check out the complete list here: http://ow.ly/MQFn50MrZRP

During the 2020-21 school year, the National Institute for Early Education Research documented historic declines in the number of children enrolled in state-funded pre-K programs, with participation in six states decreasing by 30% or more. As the childcare crisis continues with workforce loss and high family costs, experts suggest that high-quality childcare may be the pandemic’s most notable in education losses. According to an article on EdSurge there is evidence of policymaker awareness in the form of expanding childcare subsidies, capping parental copayments and resetting methodology are in the works.

Full article: https://www.edsurge.com/news/2022-12-19-the-early-childhood-sector-could-become-education-s-most-notable-example-of-learning-loss

The Early Childhood Sector Could Become Education’s Most Notable Example of 'Learning Loss' - EdSurge News As 2022 turns into 2023, EdSurge asked educators and education leaders to share reflections on learning “lost” and “gained.”Since the beginning of the ...

Monday Motivation:

“The goal of early childhood education should be to activate the child’s own natural desire to learn.” ~Maria Montessori

Universal pre-k is slated to begin in the Fall of 2023, and in preparation, the Colorado Department of Early Childhood is looking to bolster the early childhood education workforce. 9NEWS (KUSA) recently shared more information about the state’s goals for the year and the new program:

"Ultimately, the state wants to ensure that every child has access to high-quality preschool programming prior to kindergarten. We know from other states with similar programs that building capacity takes time. The state anticipates between 40-60 percent uptake by families in the first year, consistent with similar programs in other states. "

According to the article, the Jared Polis administration intends to recruit nearly 3,000 new professionals into the early learning workforce by September 2024 through several strategic initiatives.

Full story here: http://ow.ly/B6YR50MiaHH

Recruiting thousands more educators ahead of universal pre-K Universal pre-K is expected to launch in fall of 2023, but we're short the staff. Colorado is working on recruiting thousands of teachers ahead of time.

The Colorado Department of Early Childhood (CDEC) announced that Colorado was awarded a $3.9 Million Planning Grant to continue innovation of the statewide early childhood system. According to CDEC, the dollars will support the state’s continued efforts to build infrastructure and scale effective strategies and programs that address new challenges facing the early childhood workforce. Some of Colorado’s strategies include efforts to:

▶️ Increase the availability of business practice supports to early care and education professionals
▶️ Initiate a pilot to implement workforce compensation strategies and develop a comprehensive statewide qualification system and/or career ladder
▶️ Build on current opportunities for family voice to be incorporated into state and local decision-making
▶️ Develop messaging and materials to increase awareness and engagement of home visiting programs

Repost Chalkbeat Colorado:

After the Bell: Should we push to lower grade-level standards due to pandemic learning loss?

"No way! Expose students to grade-level material. Create opportunities for expanded learning using online resources. Seek pandemic funding for additional support." —Dr. Kem Smith, teacher and advice columnist

Read her full response: http://ow.ly/Jjsu50M66tN

Should we push to lower grade-level standards due to pandemic learning loss? No way! Expose students to grade-level material. Create opportunities for expanded learning using online resources. Seek pandemic funding for additional support.

The application for universal pre K in Denver will go live next month. Sign up for the newsletter so you can be in-the-know when the application goes live! http://ow.ly/yxr450M66Rl

Repost Denver Preschool Program:

There’s never been a better time to be three! That’s because Denver Preschool Program now offers tuition credits for Denver families with 3-year-olds through our Preschool for 3s program. Tuition credits are available to eligible families who live in the city and county of Denver. To learn more about Preschool for 3s and eligibility requirements, visit the link below.

http://ow.ly/4CV250M66hU

According to the National Education Foundation here are five ways early childhood education improves lives:

✔️ Less likely to repeat a grade
✔️ Less likely to be identified as having special needs
✔️ More prepared academically for later grades
✔️ More likely to graduate from high school
✔️ Higher earners in the workforce