The Children's College: A Great Denver Preschool

The Children's College is part of the Community College of Denver. It is located in downtown Denver on the Auraria campus, accessible from Colfax. It is right next door to the Auraria childcare center, a much better known and larger program. Even though it is downtown, there is ample free student pick-up/drop off on the 9th Street cul-de-sac!

The Children's College consists of two classrooms. The Sunshine Room, led by Ms. Sophie, is home to the younger children (ages 2 1/2 - almost 4) and features a great elevated loft space where kiddos can cook up their hearts delight in a great wooden kitchen. The Butterfly Room is led by Ms. Annie and features lots of class animals and a computer learning station. Both rooms have great circular windows that look out onto an expansive outdoor play area, replete with tricycles and riding paths!

The Children's College believes that children learn by exploring their environment with their senses, and the students are immersed in hands on experiences. Teachers also use the High Scope Curriculum to structure their days. High Scope is based on Jean Piaget's theory of constructivism: that children are constructors of their own knowledge. High Scope centers around the routine "plan, do and review". Each morning, free time is followed by a structured group music/dance and whole group reading. Students are then introduced to a small group activity and choose the station that best fits their interests.

The kids have a lot of time during the day to engage in independent play during free time. Teachers are very respectful of each child's individual interests. For the first five months, my son only chose to play with trains and cars during free time. While he was encouraged to check out other activities, his interests were never restricted.

If you're looking for a preschool that drills its students with the alphabet, numbers and other rote facts, than the Children's College is not the right fit. Don't get me wrong: it's not all about playtime. Students are given many experiences with letters, numbers and one-to-one correspondence (among other skills). Rather than worksheets, however, students jump on square letter mats to "teach" letter recognition, or practice writing with shaving cream on tables. All of these activities allow students to learn their fundamentals via different modalities. This approach - based on Howard Gardner's Theory of Multiple Intelligences - is another key philosophy of the preschool.

The school serves as a lab school for Education students at the Community College of Denver, and during the school year there are always student observers and helpers. All of these helpers make the student:teacher ratio extremely low. The state of Colorado requires a ratio of 1:10. While the Children's College advertises their ratio as 1:8, it is usually a lot lower. As a lab school, there is also an observation room located off of each classroom. These rooms both have one way glass and a speaker into the classroom. Parents are welcome to go into an observation room at any time to check on their preschooler. This is a fabulous feature, and is one of the main reason I chose this school for my son.

While parental involvement is encouraged, the Children's College does not demand any volunteer/classroom hours. They try to tap into community resources as much as possible - parents are encouraged to share their professions and avocations as guest speakers.

Families can opt to send their preschoolers either Full time or part-time to the school. The minimum commitment is two half days a week. This flexibility is something rare (at least here in Denver). Students hail from around the metro area, and the classrooms are fairly diverse.

The Children's College is open year-round. Hours are from 7:30-5:30. Rates are very reasonable for Denver: a full day costs on average $35.00. For current rates, and to schedule a tour, call 303.556.2439