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What We're All About
At Wonder Preschool, we blend the very best of three early childhood teaching philosophies: Reggio-Emilia, Montessori, and Waldorf. We view the child as a natural scientist—always experimenting, exploring, and wondering. We believe that children are unique, capable, and full of an amazing capacity to learn from birth. As educators, our role is to serve as intentional guides as they discover themselves and the world around them.
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We are a proud play-based, child-led program. We seamlessly integrate Science, Nature, Math, Literacy, and Creative Arts into daily play using open-ended activities that match the children's natural interests. Above all, the core of our curriculum focuses on social-emotional development, teaching kindness, and using emotion coaching to help children learn to self-regulate.
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By establishing warm, home-like routines that balance independent thinking with structured exploration, we ensure a smooth, gentle transition from home to school.
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Our Classroom Has No Walls: 2–5 Weekly Excursions
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Because our cohort is strictly limited to a maximum of six children, our curriculum isn't bound by a classroom wall. When our students show a passion for animals, science, or books, we don't just read about it—we go experience it.
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Two to five times every single week, our micro-school hits the road for intentional, experiential learning, turning our local community into an extended laboratory. Our regular rotations include:
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Science & Curiosity: The Denver Museum of Nature & Science and the WOW! Museum.
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Nature & Wonder: The Butterfly Pavilion, the Denver Zoo, and local nature trails.
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Literacy & Community: Our local libraries for child-led book selection and storytimes.
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Movement: Frequent trips to our local playgrounds and play places.
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We also attend various kid-friendly community events, fire station tours, farms, pools/splash pads in the summer, pumpkin patches in the fall, and more!
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Safety & Logistics First
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We understand that sending your child offsite requires absolute trust. Because safety is our highest priority, we treat transit and public spaces with uncompromising standards:
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Certified Transport: Children travel in the "Wonder Van" equipped with age-appropriate, and correctly installed car seats.
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Unmatched Supervision: With our low ratios, we ensure tight, constant eyes-on care while offsite.
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Real-Time Peace of Mind: We utilize the Brightwheel app to send real-time notifications and 5 to 20 photo updates throughout the day, so you can see exactly how your child is thriving out in the world.
Our Philosophy Blend
Reggio-Emilia​
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Capable Beings: We trust our small group to safely navigate, respect, and engage with public community spaces.
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Collaboration & Documentation: We use the Brightwheel app to share daily photos, reflecting on experiences and proving to children that their discoveries are deeply valued.
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The Third Environment: Reggio philosophy views a child's surroundings as an active teacher. By taking our micro-cohort out into the community, we expand our classroom environment to include immersive museum exhibits, public libraries, and nature trails that naturally spark deep, self-directed learning.
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The 100 Languages of Children: We honor the Reggio belief that children express their learning in endless creative ways. We give our students a rich variety of channels—including expressive art, sensory tables, music, movement, and building blocks—to communicate their thoughts, ideas, and unique potential.
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Montessori
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Mixed-Age Learning: Allowing children of different ages to learn from, support, and lead one another.
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Practical Life Skills & "Work": We embrace the Montessori focus on building real-world independence. Children engage in purposeful, real-life tasks like cooking, pouring, and organizing, which builds immense confidence and fine motor control.
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Intentional Environment: Our home classroom is thoughtfully organized with natural, aesthetic materials (like wood rather than plastic).
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Freedom of Movement: Children choose their activities from within a prescribed range of options, fostering deep independence both inside our home and out in the community.
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Waldorf
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Whimsical Pretend Play & Storytelling: While we celebrate real-life Montessori skills, we never lose the magic of childhood. Unlike traditional Montessori, we actively encourage rich, fantasy-driven pretend play and nature-based storytelling to foster deep imagination and creativity.
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Deep Connection to Nature: We don't just play in the backyard; we take our learning onto local trails and nature reserves, embracing weather, seasons, and natural storytelling.
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Holistic Development: Nurturing the head, hands, and heart at each child's individual pace.
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Continuity of Care: Your child benefits from the deep emotional security of having the same two trusted teachers for multiple years.
WHY WONDER IS UNIQUE
Small Ratios & A Family Dynamic
We deliberately keep our group small, with a maximum of six kids. Because we are a husband-and-wife team, your kids get two full-time teachers who balance each other out perfectly. This setup gives your child a lot of individual attention and a really beautiful mix of positive male and female role models in their daily life.
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Our Classroom Has No Walls
Because our group is so small, we aren't cooped up in the house all week. We love to pack up and go exploring 2–3 times a week. We have group memberships to awesome local spots like the Denver Zoo, the Museum of Nature and Science, the Botanic Gardens, the WOW Museum, and the Denver Children's Museum.
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Fun Extracurricular Add-Ons
If you want to add some extra enrichment to your child's week without spending your weekends rushing to classes, we’ve got you covered. Families can choose to add on fun activities like swim lessons, music class, toddler gymnastics, kids' cooking or art class, and youth soccer lessons.
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Big Focus on Social & Emotional Growth
At the end of the day, teaching kindness and helping kids learn to navigate their big emotions is the core of what we do. We’ve taken a lot of specialized coursework in Social-Emotional Learning (SEL) and take a lot of inspiration from RIE (Resources for Infant Educarers). We use gentle emotion coaching to help kids learn to self-regulate, problem-solve, and build real confidence.
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Animal Lovers
We believe caring for animals is one of the best ways to teach kids empathy and a gentle touch. Our friendly resident dog is a big part of our home environment, and we love teaching the kids how to respect and care for our furry friends.
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Daily Snapshots
You’ll never have to wonder what your child is up to. We love capturing the daily magic of childhood—whether they are exploring a museum exhibit, building a fort, or looking at a cool bug outside. We send home 5 to 20 candid photo updates every single day via the Brightwheel app so you can smile along with their day.
