We hire only highly qualified teachers with higher education degrees and years of early childhood experience. We have an extremely low student:teacher ratio to meet the needs of all children and provide quality, intentional instruction. We use a research supported, play-based, child-centered philosophy.

Play is the work of children. Children do not have to be told to play, it happens naturally with all children all over the world, regardless of demographics. With highly qualified teachers guiding this play, children learn about themselves and the world around them. Block play teaches children math and science concepts. Dramatic play teaches relationship skills. Artistic endeavors foster creativity and hone fine motor development. Outdoor play strengthens gross motor development. Play is the foundation which allows children to excel in academics later in their school journey. Without it, children struggle to sit for teacher guided instruction, both because their muscles have not had a chance to develop to support their bodies for sustained periods of time and because their innate need to move and explore has not been met.

Families that believe in a child’s innate need to play and explore the world around them, allowing them to make choices based on their budding curiosity will feel their child is building a strong foundation for their entire development.

Families who want to partner with their child’s teachers and learn about child development.

Families who want the opportunity to have afternoons and Fridays free to further enrich their child’s growth and experiences.

The application for the 2023-2024 school year is currently open. Please fill out the application under the admissions tab. We will contact families to schedule a tour. Keep in mind, these informal tours are merely an information gathering opportunity for staff. As a one-room, multi-age program, we have limited resources and therefore need to make sure that teacher support matches the needs of admitted students.

In the event that there is not space in the class, your child’s name will be placed in an unranked wait pool. We do anticipate movement to our class roster for a variety of reasons - family situations change, relocations happen, or families accept positions at other schools. We will fill class openings from the wait pool balancing the class by age, gender, and schedule preference. If a child is not admitted from the wait pool, that child may reapply for enrollment the following school year without paying another application fee.

For 2024 -2025 school year, please contact Marti @ marti@theneighborhoodplayschool.org to set up a time to tour or see the link to the sign-up genius on the homepage.

After the first round of admission, if your family is not offered a space and instead placed on the waitlist, you will notified via email or phone if a space becomes available. At that time, you can decide to accept the space and sign all paperwork.

At NPS, we believe that teachers can best provide children with high quality educational and social experiences in a half-day model while adequately exposing them and orienting them to school. We at NPS believe that children learn best when given opportunities to apply what they are learning at school during their free play at home and out in the community.

We also recognize the expense of early childhood programs, and a half day model allows us to maximize learning time with children while keeping costs lower for families.

If your child is 3 years or older, as a half-day, four days a week program, we are hopeful that the schedule will work for your family. Large breaks between classroom days can be disruptive for your child and don’t create the best opportunity for continuity of care.

If your child is 2.5 - 3 years old, we would entertain a two days a week schedule.

Our program caters to families who are best accommodated by a half-day, part-time preschool program. Fridays are an opportunity for children and their caregivers to spend time together developing other skills. This might include time at the nearby playground, sites in the city, in an enrichment class, or home spending time with siblings.

Here at NPS we believe conflict is an opportunity to teach empathy, compassion and vital communication skills. We do not put children in time out but rather give children the time, space and tools to regulate, a necessary step in the conflict resolution process. Furthermore, we want to set children up for success so rather than telling children to “use their words,” teachers will give all students involved the specific words to use to express their needs, feelings and desires.

NPS is a nut -free school. We are allergy - conscious. If there are severe allergies in a particular class, we will ask all parents to refrain from packing items containing the allergen. Children need the opportunity to learn how to keep themselves safe in a world full of allergens. Preschool is a great opportunity for them to do this safely. We talk about asking grown ups to help read labels of store bought items, not sharing food, asking parents or teachers before automatically putting something in one’s mouth, etc..

Yes, we are fully licensed through the Colorado Department of Child Care, the State of Colorado, and the City of Denver.

NPS is an independent private early childhood preschool housed in the church building.