In addition to parent tuition, DPS uses several funding sources – local, state and federal – to provide free or significantly reduced price preschool to children in Denver. First passed by Denver voters in 2006 and renewed and extended in 2014, Denver Preschool Program provides tuition credit to parents who enroll their children in preschool programs the year before they enter Kindergarten kindergarten. Credits can be used at public and private facilities. DPS Denver Public includes the DPP application as a part of the SchoolChoice enrollment process.

The state and federal government also provide significant funding for preschool in DPS. Universal Preschool (UPK) Colorado ensures that every child in the year before they are eligible for kindergarten is eligible for up to half-day (15 hours) of state-funded, voluntary preschool beginning in the 2023-24 school year. DPS also runs several HeadStart, a federal program targeted to help at-risk children – at select schools across the district.