State preschool program leaves some unsure

BY ERICA BREUNLIN THE COLORADO SUN

A preschool in Greeley that has shepherded countless kids through the rst years of their education over the past 21 years may welcome its last class of 4-year-olds next month, eyeing an uncertain future as it dives into the state’s newly expanded preschool program.

National Cycling League event will bring big competition to the city in August

BY JOHN RENFROW JRENFROW@COLORADOCOMMUNITYMEDIA.COM

Can’t get enough professional sports teams in Colorado? Good.

e National Cycling League has you covered. It’s bringing an exciting, free professional bicycle race to the Front Range.

e NCL Cup, a series, is in its rst year, and composed of 10 cycling teams composed of men and women — including the league-leading Denver Disruptors. ey compete in three races across the country for one NCL Cup champion to be crowned this fall. e rst event in Miami in April rallied nearly 20,000 spectators. e league is hopeful for similar numbers as cyclists race a course around the Colorado Rapids’ soccer stadium at Dick’s Sporting Goods Park in Commerce City on Aug 13.

“It’s the world’s rst majorityminority and female-owned sports league,” said Reed McCalvin, the vice president of teams and operations for the NCL. “ e four founders, and then myself, a founder with a very little ‘f,’ basically wanted to help change the face of sports and equality in sports.” e founders include successful executives, tech company veterans, NFL agents, lawyers, and more, with high-pro le investors in professional sports, such as the NBA’s Bradley Beal and the NFL’s Jalen Ramsey and Derwin James. ey all have the same goal: to bring cycling to the next level on a new, even playing eld. e races are not multi-day, grueling races with mountain passes somewhere along the way like the Tour de France and ones closer to home from years past, including the Colorado Classic and USA Pro Challenge. e NCL is criterium-style racing, meaning they’re fast-paced as cyclists ride on a set race course, doing laps to gain points along the way. e women and men compete in di erent competition groups for the same team, so each side brings equal weight to the scoreboard.

A new, even playing field

And, the NCL is set up in a way that allows men and women on the teams chances to contribute to the score. Some teams, such as the Denver Disruptors, have a full team of both men and women. Other teams that do not have both women’s and men’s divisions may merge with another women’s/men’s team for the purposes of competing in the NCL Cup Series.

For example, the Goldman Sachs ETFS Racing women’s team and

SEE RACERS, P2

Nearby, a di erent preschool that caters to mostly children of low-income families has only been able to ll a quarter of its classrooms for the start of the school year and is weighing its options — which could include closing its doors.

Preschools across Colorado are sprinting to make nal preparations for the start of the state’s expanded preschool program, known as universal preschool. And with less than a month until the rst day of school, many question whether they’ll have enough state funding to stay open. at question has bubbled up in the past month, after Colorado’s new Department of Early Childhood changed the way it will calculate how much funding preschool providers will receive during their rst few months of the program.

Instead of paying a provider for the number of students it has the capacity to educate, as originally promised, the department will now dole out funding based on