Our Mission and Approach to Early Childhood & Preschool

All families have access to high quality, affordable, culturally and linguistically appropriate early childhood education that prepares students for kindergarten and beyond.  Our district and community early childhood centers reflect the cultural, linguistic, and socio-economic diversity of our region. We recognize individual children for their strengths, talents, and diverse needs. We believe in:

  • Facilitating learning through play
  • Building relationships and family partnerships
  • Nurturing every child
  • Maintaining safe learning environments
  • Developing character skills
  • Honoring the culture, languages and values of our families
  • Being reflective of the communities in which we live.
Early Childhood Staff
Children playing dress up
Toddler and Preschool Schedules

Early childhood education is offered at every elementary school in the district and serves children between the ages of 12 months and 5 years. We run two types of programs:

  1. Infant - (6 weeks - 18 months) Only Offered in Riverview and Basalt Elementary. Extended Day Monday - Friday: 7:15 am - 5:15 pm
  2. Toddlers -(12 months - 3 years) Extended Day Monday - Friday: 7:15 am - 5:15 pm
  3. Preschool -(3 years - 5 years) Extended Day Monday - Friday: 7:15 am - 5:15 pm or Standard Day Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, Friday 8:15 am - 3:45 pm

Early Childhood 2024-25 Calendar.

Early Childhood Programs and Resources

Roaring Fork Family Liaisons

The Early Childhood Family Liaisons work with families to help young children access academic and non-academic support services in order to support early development and to foster social-emotional skills. Your child does not need to be enrolled in our preschool programs in order to be eligible for services. Here for more info.

ChildFind: The Child Find program identifies children ages three through five years of age who are suspected of having a delay in development as early as possible. If a young child is not meeting typical developmental milestones, or there are concerns about the child’s growth or learning, a referral can be made to Child Find. Here for more info.

Universal Preschool Program Universal Preschool (UPK) Colorado allows families of children in the year before they are eligible for kindergarten up to 30 hours of free pre-school, and Three-year-olds with qualifying factors are eligible for part-time (up to 10 hours) of preschool programming. Click here to go to State Website for UPK for more information.

Food Services All of our Early Childhood students will receive meals free of charge per Colorado law starting Fall 2023. Here for more info.