Wonderful school. Caring teachers, consistent admin team, and great curriculum. We've been here for…read more2 years and our child is thriving. You can get as involved as you would like - plenty of opportunities to engage as a parent.

My child has attended 3 Montessori Schools in 2 different states. This was by far the least…read morehospitable and supportive environment of any school she has attended (Upper Elementary). A couple of things that I would call out. 1. The school itself is very cliquish and allows a "Mean Girls" environment to exist. This is very different than the kind and welcoming cultures we have experienced at other Montessori Schools. 2. Specialization between students is treated as a nuisance by the teachers. On multiple occasions we asked for our child to be challenged more academically after coming home every day in tears about being bored. In each instance the teachers made commitments but then failed to follow through. 3. For the last 4 weeks of Spanish class the teacher had them re watch the same Cinco De Mayo celebration again and again. 4. They used our emergency contact information to solicit money from friends and family. 5. Despite the items above and based in large part on assurances from teachers, we committed to another year at the school to avoid another transition for our child. Once we were locked into the pricey financial investment for the following year, the assurances fell through and the school refused to let use out of our contract despite a questionable ability to meet our child's needs. My advice to those who consider MSD would be to not let the tour fool you. If you are looking for education tailored to your child's needs in a warm environment, this is not the school for you. We are currently paying MSD tuition while sending our daughter to a public school. We get a specialized and tailored learning plan, a teacher that follows through on commitments and and a Spanish class that teaches Spanish. It is worth every penny.

Sunflower is such a special place for little ones to learn, explore, and grow. Kathy creates such a…read morewonderful, nurturing environment. We love the focus on playing outdoors and connecting with nature. Couldn't recommend the program enough.

Our 2 year old son is blossoming at Sunflower Hill. We are so impressed by Kathy's intuition and…read morededication to helping toddlers and preschoolers thrive. She truly gets young children, in a way I have not seen before in a day care center. I have seen Kathy and her staff respond to toy stealing, tantrums, hitting, and other normal behaviors of young children with immense patience and gentleness. Kathy and her staff truly seek to understand and come alongside children, not boss them around or control them. The kids spend a large portion of the day outside, in this beautiful fenced-in property in a safe and vibrant neighborhood. It is tranquil and calm both inside and outside Sunflower Hill. My son enjoys daily circle time, songs and books, and crafts (they even bake bread and plant flowers with the kids). "Squirrel Nutkin" comes alive from the book they read, and munches on sunflower seeds outside the center. We have attended a few of Sunflower Hill's festivals, which are a great opportunity to meet parents and watch your kids thrive together. The lantern festival was a time to pause and reflect on the darkening of the seasons, and how the light is inside each of us. The kids each made a lantern and we walked around outside singing songs. It truly is as magical as it sounds. Kathy and her staff have a holistic approach to childcare, which isn't what all families are looking for. The "curriculum" is not structured or rigid, like many schools are. Each family should choose what works best for their child, and Waldorf isn't a good fit for everyone. Kathy provides flexibility in choosing days of the week, and the opportunity to re-arrange your days if needed. We looked at several child care centers in Denver, and Sunflower Hill has very reasonable pricing. They are open long hours, and it is a very convenient pick for working parents. Also, the center is housed on a sleepy neighborhood street without traffic, so you don't have to fight to find a parking spot. Pickup and dropoff are always easy. When we started at Sunflower Hill, Kathy would send us photos of our son and encouraging notes about how he was acclimating to the group. Kathy always texts me if our son is hurt (a self-inflicted scratch while playing with sticks, and a toy sharing incident that turned into hitting), and sends us photos of him with an update. I am so impressed by this attention to my child's safety, and trust Kathy immensely. Kathy has asked for feedback from parents in several of her weekly emails, and shows genuine humility and a desire to continue changing and adapting as needed. Though I don't pretend to know half as much about raising young children as Kathy, I wouldn't hesitate to speak to her if I had any concerns. The staff are fantastic, our son especially loves Warren who sings cowboy songs to him and is so attentive to his language development. We are overjoyed that our son is blossoming here. He comes home from school each day chatting about his friends, and has started pretend play at just over 2 years old, which speaks to how healthy and supportive this center is for his imagination.

Would give zero stars if possible. This school's style of fitting children into boxes is harmful…read more(especially for young boys). Had to transfer our son who is flourishing elsewhere.

We love Larks! The most wonderful (consistent) teachers and environment for our two children. I…read morelove that all ages interact together instead of being separated by age. Finding a play based preschool with a child led approach vs overly structured and rigid was important to me and we found that at Larks. Monthly play dates and family dinners helps to create a wonderful community for children and parents. 3 years in and we are happy to continue sending our children to Larks every week!

I can't say enough good things about this pre-school. Although we live in California, we had our…read more3.5 yr old son enrolled in their summer camp program while we were in CO. I was really impressed with their curriculum: music, dance, Art time, free play, etc. The teachers were engaging, kind and yet enforcing the rules and structure which is absolutely a necessary component for toddlers. When we came back to Cali to our regular pre-school, our teachers commented that they saw such a positive change in our son's behavior and also a progress with his numbers, letters, etc. It'd be a no brainer if we lived in Denver for us to enroll our son full time. Highly recommended!

From the owner: We have more than 35 years of experience working in early childhood education, and we're known for…read moreour large, two-room nursery! Every baby has its own crib, and there is a separate sleeping room for maximum nap time enjoyment.

The Gardner school has been amazing for my daughter. We love the teachers there, and they've taken…read moresuch good care of her. They're positive, friendly, and care so much for the kids. The leadership team is responsive, prompt, and great at what they do. They know all of the kids by name, and greet everyone with positivity and friendliness. Nothing but good things to say!

We are so excited to have found a place that feels like home for our 2 year old. On the surface,…read morePlum Hill is a parents dream: super clean, imaginative play space, great location & hours. Dig deeper and you will find a staff with heart that truly cares for your child's physical, mental & emotional development. I am grateful for the team that cares for my sweet boy every day.

As a former educator, I can not say enough wonderful things about Plum Hill Preschool. We have 4…read morechildren and have had several preschool experiences all over town over the years. We love everything about Plum Hill! The staff are friendly and educated. The "feel" of the school is very calm, clean and organized. We love the philosophy behind the school which is a mixture of the best parts of Waldorf, Reggio and play based. They understand the importance of unstructured play and facilitate learning based on what the children show interest in. The children go outside to play and visit the two goats Poppy and Pearl daily. The teachers seem very in tune with what is typical developmental behavior and deal with behaviors with loving redirection (we are in the youngest class). I also love the mostly wood toys instead of plastic toys that sing and flash. I really can't say enough about how happy we are with the school. My two kiddos run into school each morning and lovingly hug each teacher at the end of every day. I feel confident that they are happy and safe while they are there. I would highly recommend!