School
Help! My child refuses to go to school
Let’s face it: saying good-bye to summer is a huge bummer but for some kids, it’s a lot worse. Most kids don’t want to go to school once in a while. But kids with what experts call “school refusal” have a lot of very extreme anxiety about going to school. Your child may have school refusal if they often try very hard to avoid school and get extremely upset about going. Kids with school refusal may also feel sick a lot and regularly visit the nurse. Sometimes kids may be anxious about going back after being home sick or after a school vacation. For these kids, it is important not to let them stay home. They need to get back in the swing of things as fast as possible. If school refusal goes on for weeks or months, it’s time to take action. Overcoming School Ref...
A teacher shares her students’ touching (and tough) wishes
On Friday I did an activity with my 5th graders where they wrote a short blurb entitled: I wish my teacher would know…” These are just a few that stuck out to me: Kid 1: I wish my teacher would know; my dad is in jail, and I haven’t seen him in years. Kid 2: I wish my teacher would know, I don’t always eat dinner because my mom works and I don’t know how to work the stove. Kid 3: I wish my teacher would know; my sister sleeps in the same bed as me, and sometimes she wets the bed, and that’s why I smell funny. Kid 4: I wish my teacher would know that I don’t always have sneakers for gym class because my brothers and I share one pair. Kid 5: I wish my teacher knew I like coming to school because it’s quiet here, unlike my house with all the yel...
The Nest Schools: A NEW Denver Childcare and Preschool You’ll Love
As parents, we want nothing but the best for our children, especially when it comes to their care and education. Choosing the right early childhood education provider can set the foundation for a lifetime of success. If you’re on the lookout for high-quality education that prioritizes your child’s development, look no further than The Nest Schools. Newly established in the Greater Denver area, The Nest Schools are quickly becoming the go-to choice for families seeking exceptional early childhood education. With locations in Broomfield, Centennial, Columbine, Ken Caryl, and Broomfield and plans for a sixth location this summer, The Nest Schools are expanding their footprint to better serve the community. Each of their five schools has undergone significant renovations inside and...
Denver middle schoolers can receive $1,000 for afterschool programs
In a kids town hall meeting, Denver Mayor Mike Johnston announced My Spark Denver, a new pilot program that will provide 4,000 Denver Public Schools (DPS) middle school students with $1,000 to enroll in afterschool programs. As students enroll in participating programs, My Spark Denver will invest $4 million in after-school activities. “Many of us have a story about the activities we loved as kids. For me, my spark was soccer and theater. I didn’t become a professional athlete or actor, but the lessons of teamwork and collaboration have stayed with me,” said Mayor Mike Johnston. “While my administration takes on the urgent issues of ending homelessness and ensuring public safety, My Spark Denver addresses many of the underlying causes of these issues by investing in the wellbei...
Educational tech tips for kids in the digital age from Comcast
Do you feel like you’re in the swing of managing your kids’ back-to-school routines or do you feel a bit overwhelmed trying to keep up? Technology doesn’t have to be part of that overwhelm. In fact, it can be a valuable tool for education. Comcast has some awesome tips for how to use it mindfully and with supervision to ensure a positive and constructive learning experience for your child. Don’t miss these great technology tips for parents to help their children succeed in the digital age. Create a productive workspace. Agree to a dedicated, organized and comfortable workspace for your child with good lighting and all the necessary school supplies. Be sure to find a place that minimizes distractions. Check your internet connectivity. Make sure your home has a stable and reliable inte...
What Can You Expect at Energy Day Colorado?
Spark your child’s interest in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) at Energy Day Colorado! Energy Day is a free family festival event on Saturday, Sept. 23, 10 a.m.-2 p.m. that consists of numerous interactive demonstrations that familiarize young students with the different types of energy and get them excited to see how a pathway in STEM could be their future career. Emphasis is also placed on the importance of energy in our world, conservation and efficiency in our daily lives, in schools, and in the home. Exhibits featured at the event range from hands-on demonstrations where students and families can see how each energy process works, to small and even large-scale installations that all can observe. Events such as Energy Day “really drive the point (of the importa...
Colorado teachers can be awarded up to $1,000 for new projects
Great news for our hard-working teachers: Colorado teachers can apply for up to $800 in grants to purchase materials for their classrooms through a new state initiative. The $11 million in federal COVID relief funds is aimed at helping teachers purchase materials to address needs and learning deficits that came out of the COVID pandemic. Starting today, preschool through 12th grade public school teachers can apply through the DonorsChoose Colorado site and submit a project. How to Qualify for DonorsChoose Colorado Create a teacher account at www.donorschoose.org/teachers if you don’t already have one. Then return to this page to follow the rest of these instructions. Sign into your account. Teach PreK-12 in an Colorado public school. On the “HI” page while creating your...
Free school meals for kids in Denver
Colorado public school students can get free breakfast and lunch this school year under a new voter-approved program called Healthy School Meals For All. Most of Colorado’s 178 school districts are participating. Here’s what you need to know about your children eating for free at school. If my district is a part of the Healthy Meals For All program, does that mean my school is participating? Yes. If your district opts into the program, all participating schools within the district are included. However, not all schools have traditionally served meals. Schools that don’t currently participate in the National School Lunch and Breakfast programs won’t be serving free meals. There are also some charter schools that serve meals but not under the federal programs so they don’t qualify...
Denver Preschool Program Helps Every Denver Family Access the Power of Preschool
Are you a Mile High Mama (or papa/other amazing caregiver) residing within the City and County of Denver? If so, and if you have a 4-year-old enrolled in preschool, or ready for preschool, read on to learn how the Denver Preschool Program helps residents find and pay for quality preschool. Every child deserves the chance to benefit from positive early childhood experiences, including preschool. But as valuable as quality preschool is, it can represent a significant cost for many Denver families. For some, that expense may consume up to 40% of a family’s income. Since 2006, the Denver Preschool Program (DPP) has helped Denver families find and pay for quality preschool programs, regardless of a household’s income, neighborhood, or immigration status. “By the age of five, 90 percent of a chi...
Hosting an Exchange Student Q&A: Saying good-bye to our bonus kids
We recently wrapped up two years of hosting two incredible exchange students: The truly lovely Maelle from Switzerland and the always-entertaining Pablo from Spain. I’m frequently asked how we came to host exchange students so here is a Q&A on what you need to know to host exchange students. Q: How did you become a host family? A: I served an LDS mission in Geneva Switzerland and I was contacted about five years ago on a mission alumni Facebook page about hosting a young man from Switzerland. It was never something I had ever thought about but we had very positive interactions with our neighbor who hosted a young woman from Thailand. But at the time, we just didn’t have the space. Fast-forward to December 2019 and we were in the process of refinancing our house to finish our base...
Get cleaner air at your child’s school (for FREE!)
The worst of COVID-19 is (hopefully) behind us but our schools still have a long way to go in providing cleaner air for our students. Well, we recently came across a fantastic (free and already funded) program called “Clean Air for Schools Colorado.” The Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment’s (CDPHE) Clean Air for Schools Colorado is aimed at improving indoor air quality in schools by providing grants for schools to install air purifiers, improve ventilation systems, and perform other measures to enhance the air quality. Poor indoor air quality aggravates some health conditions (asthma, allergies, respiratory viruses), which negatively impacts both students and staff. Clean Air for Schools program provides free high-efficiency particulate air filter p...
Denver’s online pandemic-era elementary school to close
Denver will shut down its pandemic-era online elementary school at the end of this school year, district officials announced at a school board meeting Monday. Parents and teachers pleaded to save the school, describing the range of students who have benefitted, including neurodiverse students who find in-person classes overstimulating, students with high anxiety, those whose families are unhoused and highly mobile, and students who are immunocompromised or who live with someone who is. “I will not be sending my children to in-person school,” parent Christin Finch told the school board. “The stakes could not be higher. The stakes are life and death.” Denver Online Elementary, known as DOLE, opened in fall 2021 as an alternative to in-person learning. Several Colorado school districts s...
