The physical environment, responsive teachers, and planned activities all converge to create worthwhile and enriching learning experiences characterized by joy, playfulness, and the cultivation of awe and wonder

Our educational approach supports the full development of the human being with a broad vision of education as an ‘aid to life’ and prepared learning environments equipped with purposeful activities suited to the child’s developmental needs and tendencies, with trained educators facilitating learning, concentration, and social development

During their days, months, and years at Treehouse Learning, children develop safe and secure attachment relationships with caring teachers and peers, resulting in fundamental resiliency and a grounded, positive self-concept

When our children leave for kindergarten or first grade, they are distinguished by strong academic and social skills, love of learning, curiosity, and personal confidence who are responsible, independent, and trust in their own abilities

Language acquisition and self-expression are valued for all children, and exposure to early literacy, art, music, nature-based exploration, and environmental literacy begins in our infant rooms

Curriculum includes direct teaching and learning experiences derived from a prepared environment, but also includes natural teachable moments all day, every day

Our daily routines actively promote each child’s physical, intellectual, and social/emotional growth in a balanced approach that supports the development of the whole child. 

Prepared environments: Our classrooms are rich with high-quality and natural materials, books, open-ended manipulatives, and toys—but without TV, videos, and electronic devices.

Children learn to notice and name their feelings through body-based self-awareness of their physical and emotional state and develop empathy and emotional literacy

Classrooms have “cozy corners” and “regulation stations” for children to self-regulate and explore a variety of mindfulness, self-soothing tools and calming techniques

Children learn to be part of a classroom and school community by practicing learning to share and taking turns, use an empathy-based approach to understanding needs and helping others, embody community expectations of kindness, respect, and helpfulness, and learn to care for the environment and world around us

Children develop a positive self-concept rooted in grounded self-confidence where they believe themselves to be competent and capable people who can learn new skills and do hard things

Interpersonal relationship skills begin with our infants learning to say “please,” “thank you,” and “more” with sign language. During snacks and lunches, teachers model mealtime conversations and try new foods. Children practice grace, courtesy, and collaboration with others, and children and teachers model effective language and communication strategies.

Our classroom expectations are for all children to Be Kind, Be Helpful, and Be Safe! We teach children about keeping their bodies and the bodies of others safe, being safe in their classrooms and communities, and using materials safely and appropriately. Safety also includes learning appropriate risk-taking as well as Body Safe policies for sexual abuse prevention

Piaget is well known in the field of educational psychology, particularly his concept of developmental stages. “Developmentally Appropriate Practices” are a result of Piaget’s influence, me

The teachings of Vygotsky are rooted in the social context of learning where children are guided in their learning, concept mastery, and developing leadership skills and pro-social behaviors through the social context of the classroom environment, which includes both peers and skilled educators facilitating and guiding learning experiences.

• Teachers offer help when asked, at the point of readiness with a belief in the competence and capability of each child 
  • “Never do for a child what they can do for themselves”
• “Scaffolding” describes the role of a teacher or more skilled peer in helping children achieve higher levels of competency
• Zone of Proximal Development, or the bridge between what a child can do independently, and what the child can not yet do, even with assistance.

• Montessori education is a long-recognized tradition of hands-on learning based on the belief that young children can learn complex concepts easily during sensitive periods through child-led inquiry and exploration. 
• We draw from the Montessori philosophy to respect each child’s individual learning style and preference, and children are given opportunities to engage in self-directed, purposeful activities 
• We include daily opportunities for children to practice physical, social, and practical living skills (education as an ‘aid to life’ as well as care of the person and environment
• We offer Montessori-inspired peace education lessons to help children learn how to use conflict resolution when necessary and empower children to take responsibility for their own choices, as well as lessons in grace and courtesy
• Montessori’s Cosmic Education describes the role of education as comprehensive, holistic and purposeful; to encompass the development of the whole person within the context of the whole universe

• The Reggio Emilia approach guides Treehouse Learning to understand children’s active participation in constructing their own experiential learning process through play, creative expression, and social interactions in the context of relationships and a prepared environment. 
• We are reminded that children are endowed with “a hundred languages” through which to express themselves and that the classroom (whether indoors or outdoors), a prepared and intentional environment is the  child’s “third teacher.”

• We recognize that nature designed children to learn through play. Play is a child-directed, joyful activity with no external end goal outside of the emergent discovery naturally inherent in play.
• Learning organically and spontaneously emerges out of an intentionally prepared learning environment and the freedom to explore and discover.
• A child-centric experience builds academic skills into play experiences via skilled educators who guide and facilitate a child’s learning.
• Play-based learning builds leadership and social skills, and there are many types of play, including imaginary and dramatic play, games with rules as well as unstructured play.

• Interpersonal neurobiology, particularly the work of Dr. Dan Siegel and Tina Payne Bryson confirms that optimal learning and development occur in the context of safe and secure attachment relationships and that human-to-human interactions (as opposed to technology) are critical to healthy social-emotional development and maturation
• Movement is critical to brain development: we use intentional, movement-based awareness to activate and integrate all parts of the brain for learning through body-based mindfulness and social-emotional learning
• Developmentally Appropriate Practice: Child-focused understanding of human development from birth onward in conjunction with understanding our brains, and nervous system, and age-appropriate teaching strategies

We offer Universal Preschool for eligible preschool children. For the 2023-2024 Academic Year, we offer 15 hours a week of free, high-quality preschool to eligible children who are enrolled full-time (either 4 or 5 days per week) in their year before Kindergarten. 

Treehouse Learning also offers the High Scope Cor Advantage observation-based child assessments in conjunction with our participation in Colorado Universal Preschool program, specifically for its alignment with the Montessori and Reggio Emilia traditions, and play-based approach emphasizing active learning, positive adult-child interactions, child-friendly learning environments, consistent daily routines, and team-based assessments. This is in order to provide a formative assessment of a child’s entire academic, social, and physical development

“Tools of the Mind,” a Vygotsky-based curriculum emphasizes literacy development through the lens of dramatic play. Children spend time with purposeful writing, role-playing, mathematical reasoning, invention and discovery. Through this program self-regulation skills are introduced and developed naturally.

Literacy, writing, reading skills, math, science, STEM are offered via interactive and experiential activities in a prepared learning environment to support child-led inquiry and guided by educators to facilitate deeper understanding and learning

The science of Reading approach incorporates both phonics-based decoding skills to connect letters to sounds as well as the language acquisition, exposure, and development necessary to make meaning of written materials. Literacy and language development at Treehouse Learning begins in infancy and is naturally embedded throughout the day through direct instruction, songs, stories, and dramatic play

Treehouse Learning offers a balanced approach to arts and academics through creative self-exploration and expression via visiual and fine arts, musical arts, creative movement arts, culinary arts, as well as environmental arts

Treehouse Learning participates in a longitudinal study with the University of Denver to examine the effectiveness of Yale University’s RULER Social-Emotional Curriculum in preschools across Colorado, as well as other educational-based collaborations to improve childhood outcomes, and children are invited to participate in research studies