Pay attention to the number of complaints/founded reports of child abuse made on the Colorado Shines website and the frequent inability to pass inspections here: https://www.coloradoshines.com/program_details?id=001o000000JBEGGAA5 And save yourself from being in a situation where you are the next one calling and making a report for something that has happened to your child. Don't be surprised if this review is met with a defensive, minimizing, or manipulative reply - my personal experience predicts this will be the case. I have seen the director Michael on Facebook telling parents not to pay attention to the Colorado Shines website to me that should be a Red Flag they not only have something to hide but are actively working to hide it. For a school that has been around since 1970 you would think they could pass an inspection by now without manipulation or paying someone - see photos. read more

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The Little Red School House, as Children's House is so lovingly referred to in our family, has been the only preschool I've sent my children to (once they reached 2 1/2) upon arriving in Boulder, from an inner city environment 4 years ago. My oldest, who is now going into 1st grade, was in need of a lot of stimulation outside of the home when he was little. He was one of those very active, curious kids always seeking out new adventures and interests. The education staff took great care in feeding that curiosity from the first day. Their story book journey curriculum is a tested and proven method (see Ashley Merriman's and Po Bronson's, Nurture Shock) for early childhood education success across all areas of learning, whether it be speech, pre literacy, social awareness, personal development, gross/fine motor etc. My husband and I beamed when our 3 year old son came home with books on sharks for us to read to him from the school and started memorizing facts and reciting them to friends and relatives. It seemed he had met his match. As an elementary age kiddo he has flourished into a very kind, loving, enthusiastic and confident student. I give a lot of credit for that to Elaine, the director at Children's House. Our youngest son will be starting his final year at CHP in the fall. He has developed so much from their care by learning self confidence, self reliance and finding his own voice. He is now looking forward to being a leader for next years students and I know he will continue to thrive in this loving, nurturing environment. A point worth making is that it is a one room school house meaning the children are of mixed ages together throughout their day. I can only speak from my family's experience but it has been wonderful to watch our children flourish as they get older, growing first from silent observer, to active participant and lastly to confident leader. The one room serves as a wonderfully safe and creative environment to explore through play, art, music, and pre literacy story telling. While it is a very active and diverse classroom, each child really does find their own sense of peace and space to grow within it. Children's House Preschool has been a very, very positive experience for my family. read more

Both our kids (daughter and son) have attended Children's House and we couldn't be happier. The teachers take great care in getting to know each child as an individual and work hard to help them feel comfortable and safe at school while having a blast. We started our oldest there after an unpleasant experience elsewhere and I knew we'd struck gold when she wrote a story about her new school, saying it was a place where "everyone is kind". Thank you Children's House! read more

I have had two of my kids attend Children's House Preschool, and plan to have my third son attend as well. Children's House is everything I was looking for in a preschool. We had tried several other preschools in Boulder and weren't satisfied with any of them. Children's House has excellent, highly trained and capable teachers; most have degrees in early childhood education. In addition, their "storybook journey" program with a new book /school theme every month, the school environment is a constantly changing and stimulating experience for the children. However, my favorite aspect of CHP is their focus on diversity- both cultural and economic. Through grants and diligent work to connect with public funding they try to ensure that around 50% of their enrolled students are recipients of scholarships (for financial need). In addition, they actively work to create a welcoming environment for students of many different languages and cultures that celebrates diversity without sacrificing the program quality. In Boulder, schools and other groups can be pretty homogeneous so this was a very welcome change for me. read more

Children's House Preschool has been, and still is, a wonderful place for my children. Elaine, the director, has nearly 20 years of experience in the preschool environment. The other staff clearly has a joyful interest in childhood development. Whenever I enter the school or see the children playing on the playground, I always see the teachers interacting with the children. They are down at their eye level initiating play, explaining something or helping children get along. Never have I seen the teachers gathered in a group, talking amongst themselves, while the children are left to essentially teach themselves. This is very important to me and something I have personally witnessed at several other preschools I considered. At CHP, teachers talk with the children as responsible, respected young people, no matter their background or age. And there are many different backgrounds: last year my youngest had in his class children from India, Saudi Arabia, Libya, Mexico, Germany and of course local children as well. We have also made long lasting friendships with families that have attended there. It is a gem of a community that each one of the staff of Children's House has created and my family feels very grateful to have found it. I will also add that having volunteered in the class, I witnessed how the staff works together and it is refreshing to find a group whose members support each other so well to the common goal of an enjoyable, safe learning environment. read more

This has been the perfect start for our son's education. A warm loving environment that is led by well educated people that have a deep understanding and compassion for what they do. We switched to Children's House after trying a Boulder Waldorf preschool because we thought there was a lack of adult supervision and guidance. We couldn't be happier here - teachers freely talk about what has happened during the day and there are numerous ways in which they communicate with the parents. We all feel included and part of the school community. The "storybook journey's" are amazing and completely transform the classroom and integrate into their art projects and creative play. Which fosters a beautiful exploration and appreciation of books from an early age. As a parent, I love books - and couldn't understand the lack of literature in the Waldorf methodology - Children's House embraces this love. There is no staff turn over in this school and that made starting our second year even more comforting. The homemade snacks that are provided are wonderful and I love that they have the kids help cook. There are so many good things to say. I hope other families find the joy that we have found! read more