A Denver mother's story has shed light on a surprising glitch in Colorado's preschool placement system, leaving many parents and educators scratching their heads.
Imagine being told your four-year-old twins, Adeline and Lucian, will be attending different preschools, a 15-minute drive apart! Emily Mahoney, their mother, was faced with this exact dilemma when she applied for preschool placement through Colorado's Universal Preschool Program (UPK). Despite her efforts to ensure her twins would be placed together, the state's algorithm had other plans.
Mahoney's journey began with a simple phone call before the application deadline, where she highlighted the need for her twins to attend the same school. However, when the email with the placement results arrived, it revealed a different story. One twin was assigned to Southmoor, near their home, while the other was directed to Stephen Knight, a 15-20 minute drive away.
"I was calling everybody in a panic," Mahoney recalled. "I didn't know which one to accept because there might not be spots for the other one."
The UPK system, it seems, has a unique process. Parents rank their school choices, and an algorithm determines the placements. The schools themselves receive the final list, but they have no say in the matching process. This year, nearly 30,000 preschoolers applied through UPK for the 2026-27 school year, adding to the complexity.
Priscilla Hopkins, the director of early education for Denver Public Schools (DPS), clarified, "We don't see [the state’s] matching process. They send us the matching process."
When Mahoney received the mismatched placement, she was directed to the Denver Preschool Program, who then suggested she contact the schools directly. However, the schools had no authority to intervene, leaving Mahoney in a bind.
"I didn't realize that my twins were the first to try to enroll in preschool," Mahoney said with a hint of humor. "That’s my joke."
Hopkins confirmed that resolving such mismatches requires coordination between DPS and the state. "We don't override," she explained. "We call the Colorado Department of Early Childhood, and we work through that together. Then the correct match comes to us, and then we can extend the offer."
The Colorado Department of Early Childhood (CDEC) acknowledged that the matching system does not automatically link sibling or twin applications. "I really think that there should be a sibling priority or a way to call out on my applications that they're multiples," Mahoney emphasized.
In a follow-up, the state assured that they are working on this specific issue. "CDEC is actively evaluating system enhancements and looking into opportunities to ensure twins and siblings of the same age are placed together," they stated.
Interestingly, had one of the twins been an older sibling at one of the schools, the algorithm would have given the younger sibling added preference to match that same school. Since they were applying for the first time simultaneously, no preference was given.
"I don't think it makes sense for the state to be doing this in a silo and then kind of not having a ton of flexibility in being able to respond to situations like this," Mahoney added.
The situation has partially resolved, with UPK and DPS now able to place both twins at the same school, albeit at Stephen Knight and not their preferred location. "Unfortunately, we did not get into the preferred school because of class size restrictions, and so we decided to go with the farther school because at least they're at the same place," Mahoney concluded.
This story raises important questions about the flexibility and adaptability of such systems. Should there be a priority for siblings or twins in preschool placements? And how can we ensure that these systems are responsive to unique family situations? Share your thoughts in the comments below!
