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鈥檚 degree in education policy from the University of Michigan. She joined Chalkbeat (then EdNews Colorado) in 2012.

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鈥檝e 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鈥檚 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鈥檚 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鈥檚 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鈥檚 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鈥檚 4-year-olds --聽around 31,000 children 鈥斅爐o participate in the first year.

Shena Lopez, an attendance advocate at ...

When students don鈥檛 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鈥檛 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鈥檛 have air conditioning.

Colorado鈥檚 kindergarten math: How a pandemic plus lower birth rates are changing school for young learners

August 12, 2021 at 12:48 p.m.

Experts fear the youngest students could face the most substantial social and academic gaps because of the pandemic.

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