At Happy Valley, our Preschool classes run for 3 hours each, either 2 or 3 days per week – based on family preference. These classes are offered in the mornings on Monday/Wednesday or Tuesday/Thursday, with the third day being the addition of Friday for either class. Additionally, there is an afternoon class available on Tuesday/Thursday. For more information on our class schedule, please click HERE.

These classes focus primarily on social and emotional skills, functional communication, and foundational classroom skills. These skills include sharing, expressing your wants and needs in a safe and productive way, learning to recognize and appropriately share your feelings, hold a writing manipulative correctly, sharing with friends in a way that respects a child’s desire to continue playing with an item, taking turns, sitting at a table for an extended period to do art and other learning activities, and of course PLAY. Play is the foundation of learning that lasts. Our goal is to embed as much of a student’s learning as possible into play so that at the end of the day, no matter what they did – it was fun, and they can’t wait to come back.

Our Pre-Kindergarten (Pre-K) classes offer two options: 3 hours and 45 minutes for 3 days per week (Part-time) or 3 hours and 45 minutes for 4 days per week (Half-day). We are proud to participate in Colorado’s UPK program, and if your child meets the requirements (turning 4 years old prior to October 1st of the current calendar year and a Colorado address), your tuition can be fully funded by the State. For a detailed class schedule, click HERE.

The curriculum for our 4-year-olds augments everything described in our Preschool classes (we never stop teaching or reinforcing skills learned the previous year) with activities designed for mastery of the Colorado Kindergarten School Readiness Initiative, which can be seen HERE. While this may sound like we focus more on the academic side of things – and while to a certain extent, we do – our learning is designed to be play-based. There is a portion of the day directed at sitting in a chair and working out of a workbook – but the vast majority of a student’s learning will be artfully layered into their play and exploration.

We’re thrilled to offer a half-day kindergarten class. This class meets for 3 hours and 45 minutes a day, 5 days a week in the afternoons. We are firm believers that 5-year-olds have no business in a full day of school. Everything they need to learn can be taught in a half-day session. So much of their life is already spent learning that they really need the other half of the day to decompress and “just be a kid”.

This class will augment all of a student’s previous learning (we never stop teaching or reinforcing skills learned in the previous years) only this time our learning targets are those needed to enter 1st grade as seen here: FAMILY AND COMMUNITY GUIDE FOR 1st GRADE.

This class is designed for children who may need or want additional time before transitioning to a full day of schooling, or for parents who don’t feel that it is necessary or in a child’s best interest to be in school all day at such a young age. As with all of our programs, our Kindergarten class will be fun, engaging, and based in play while still giving children all the tools necessary to be successful in either 1st grade or another year of kindergarten.

Welcome to Happy Valley Children’s Ranch Summer Camp! Immerse your child in an enriching outdoor adventure featuring nature and science activities. Our themed and carefully programmed day camp ensures a perfect match for their energy and creativity. Your camper will not only develop new skills, but also forge lasting friendships, bringing home a treasure trove of stories from each day’s adventures. Nourishing snacks, including fruits and veggies, along with hydration, are provided throughout the day.