Preschool
Our small preschool invites children ages 2 through 5 to learn and grow through play. Inspired by the preschools of Reggio Emilia, Italy, our program honors children as capable community members.
We prioritize outdoor play and meaningful work. Our novel model introduces high quality one-on-one early academic instruction when appropriate for the individual child.
We are in the relocation process and expect to re-open on September 2nd, 2025.
Please note that the details below reflect our current intentions, but may change based on licensing, funding, and staffing needs. We expect to begin accepting new enrollment applications on July 15th, 2025.
Typical daily schedule
Full day: 8:30am-3:30pm
Half day: 8:30am-12:30pm
Extended half day Pre-K: 8:30am-1:30pm
A consistent rhythm of the day helps children feel comfortable exploring and confident in what to expect.
8:30AM: Dropoff
8:30-10:20AM: Outdoor play
We greet the morning outside! Whether we play in the garden or at Dailey Park just across the street, everyone has a chance to move their bodies and feel the sunshine (or rain!). Our low ratio student-to-teacher ratio allows students to explore with safe supervision.
10:20-10:40AM: Morning snack
Nutritious snacks are provided each day. This is also a natural time for a diaper change/potty break and a reapplication of sunscreen. We may eat snack indoors or outdoors.
10:40-12PM: Practical play
Children are competent. We create space to develop their skills and confidence through meaningful work and use of real tools. Children may participate in preparing meals, gardening, sewing, and caring for our space and materials.
12:00-12:30PM: Lunch
Lunch is typically served family style and prepared in collaboration with the children. By taking ownership over their food from a young age, children develop a healthy relationship with mealtime.
12:30PM: Half day pick up
12:30-2:15PM: Rest / studio time
Rest time begins with classic children’s stories read aloud. Many young children take a midday nap. Our space and low student:teacher ratio are designed to allow these children restorative sleep. Children who do not nap or finish their nap can engage their emergent interests with art and engineering materials in the studio, resting their bodies while focusing their minds.
2:15-2:45PM: Afternoon snack
Children reset after rest time by cleaning up the space, using the potty/changing diapers, reapplying sunscreen, and enjoying snack together indoors or outdoors.
2:45-3:30PM: Emergent outdoor play
Invitations to play come out of the studio and into the garden. We offer materials for artistic, scientific, and social exploration based on our observations of their interests and wonderings.
3:15-3:30PM: Pick up
Picking children up within this window reduces disruptions to their play while ensuring teachers have predictable work schedules with time to collaborate and plan the upcoming days.
Our community
It takes a village to raise a child; join ours!
The program is led by Emily Anders, a licensed teacher with a master’s degree in Early Childhood Education and mom of two young children.
Our small preschool lives on a floor dedicated to children within Emily’s home. We especially welcome children from the local Baker and surrounding neighborhoods.
We believe that children and adults thrive in caring communities and are looking for families interested in building the proverbial “village” both within and outside the program.
Within the program, we save families time, money, and mental load in big and small ways. Daily snacks and lunch are provided, as-needed drop in days or afternoons are available, nap linens are provided and laundered on site, and sunscreen and wipes are provided (or you can bring along your preferred kind!).
Bloom Time
Children enrolled in Universal Pre-K and/or full day programming are offered a short daily period of one-on-one direct instruction in reading and math. This time is inspired by research into effective instruction methods, including the foundational work behind Bloom’s 2 Sigma Problem. By condensing this instruction into an individualized, highly effective tutorial, we preserve the vast majority of the day for the play and exploration instead of developmentally inappropriate academics.
Teachers work with families to understand their unique goals and strengths, whether that means fostering reading skills from a very young age or opting out of teacher-led instruction entirely.
Enrollment
For more information, or to begin the enrollment process, please complete the form here or email Emily at emily@spruceschool.org.
Logistics
We are currently in the process of relocating our school. We expect to open for the 2025-2026 school year on September 2nd.
Our existing childcare license number is 1768238; we expect to be issued a new license for a Large Family Childcare Home by the end of August.
Location: Baker neighborhood, next to Dailey Park in Denver, CO.
Small school: We enroll up to 12 children, ages 2-5 in our mixed-age preschool program and have an incredibly low 4:1 student-to-teacher overall ratio.
Consistency: Children thrive in consistent relationships. We enroll on a semester, school year, or year-round basis and offer week-by-week flexibility over the summer. We hope to grow with your child over multiple years.
Holidays: We follow the Denver Public Schools vacation and holiday calendar. We are open on DPS professional development and conference days, and offer both week-by-week or full semester enrollment over the summer.
Tuition-free Pre-K: We expect to participate in Colorado’s Universal Pre-K (UPK) and Denver Preschool Program (DPP). Once our applications are approved, we will be pleased to be able to offer scholarships to four year olds utilizing UPK funding and DPP credits to cover any remaining tuition balance for an extended half day (8:30am-1:30pm). This additional hour allows students to participate in studio and Bloom time.
Like most other UPK providers, including Denver Public Schools ECE4, we typically need to collect a small tuition fee for full day Pre-K enrollment to cover the gap between available public funding and the cost of high quality full day programming.
Tuition rates: We enroll by semester, school year, or year-round commitments, and offer weekly enrollment over the summer. The following tuition rates are for the 2025-2026 school year.
Full day (8:30am-3:30pm):
5 days/week: $1890 per month
3 days/week (M/W/F): $1275 per month
2 days/week (Tu/Th): $850 per month
Half day (8:30am-12:30pm):
5 days/week: $1195 per month
3 days/week (M/W/F): $750 per month
2 days/week (Tu/Th): $500 per month
Extended half day Pre-K (8:30am-1:30pm):
5 days/week: $0 out of pocket with UPK and DPP credit, $1400 self pay
Tuition is charged on a monthly basis for the month ahead. Tuition is based on scheduled attendance and does not vary with scheduled closures, family vacations, or illness. A $500 non-refundable deposit is required to save your child’s seat - this deposit is applied to the first month’s tuition.
Discounts are available for full school year and year round commitments, including a half-month credit toward May tuition and a 5% discount for pre-paying tuition in full.
Out of pocket tuition fees are likely eligible for reimbursement if you have a dependent care FSA. Consult a tax professional to find out if you qualify for the Child and Dependent Care Tax Credit.
In accordance with our provider agreements, deposits, required commitments, and discounts may not apply to UPK and DPP enrollments.
