Worldmind Early Education
An inclusive, independent outdoor-based school for preschool & kindergarten students
At a Glance
Outdoor-based school for preschool & kindergarten
Supportive environment for neurodiverse, gifted & twice-exceptional students
Focus on social and emotional development
Learning in nature and at the Denver Museum of Nature and Science
Small class sizes (5:1 student to teacher ratio)
Multi-age classrooms
STEM + Art/Design curriculum
Real-world learning
Enrollment begins at age 3; all students must be potty trained.
Mission and Vision Statements
Worldmind creates inclusive spaces for neurodiverse individuals and their families. We build communities where members feel safe, respected, and valued, and ignite in them a greater love and appreciation for themselves and others.
We reunite neurodiverse individuals with the world by creating nature-inspired, placed-based experiences that spark engagement, development, awareness, and connection. We intentionally link individuals' understanding of bio and social diversity so that they evolve into compassionate, self-actualized members of our local and global societies.
The Importance of Social & Emotional Learning with Dr. Ali Hill
Learn about why Worldmind puts social and emotional learning at the foundation of the school and how it strengthens all learning opportunities in the classroom.
Worldmind creates inclusive spaces for neurodiverse individuals and their families. We build communities where members feel safe, respected, and valued, and ignite in them a greater love and appreciation for themselves and others.
Our Curriculum
Real-World Learning
Worldmind incorporates an even balance of head (academic achievement), heart (character-building and well-being), and hand (problem-solving, creating, and idea development). This is accomplished through a carefully crafted curriculum that incorporates Real-World Learning. Real-World Learning lends itself to place-based and project-based approaches to pedagogy.
Real-World Learning also incorporates civic education. Through this innovative type of education, teachers can encourage students to see not only their home and school, but also the city and surrounding areas in which they are located, as a real world classroom. Teachers will assign projects that help students to map and engage with real world issues and initiatives in the community. This will be accomplished through multiple field trips throughout the school year. Field trips bring people together in ways that go beyond traditional classroom experiences.
Emergent Curriculum
An emergent curriculum focuses on the process of learning that emerges from the children. It is designed to be open-ended and self-directed in order to meet the needs and interests of every student. It relies on teacher initiative and students’ intrinsic motivation. The components of an emergent curriculum are: students’ interests, teachers’ and accompanied adults’ interests, developmental tasks, things in the physical environment, people in the social environment, curriculum resource materials, unexpected events, living together, conflict resolution and routines, values help in the school and community, family, and culture.
Ecological Consciousness
The Worldmind curriculum connects children to the dynamic ecological systems in Colorado through a series of season-based units that prescribe carefully crafted learning experiences. This pedagogy helps students address past, present, and future ecological issues, and enhances their understanding of an interconnected ecological system. Our curriculum is research-based and provides developmentally appropriate activities in nature so that students can master and integrate ecological consciousness into their lives.
Literacy
Vocabulary is a key component of reading and writing development. Studies have shown that free play in nature can significantly enhance children’s vocabulary development. We have a story time daily, and children practice writing and drawing in their nature journals. Nature journaling helps children stimulate curiosity about the world around them and develop a sense of place and their role in that place. This practice involves stopping and watching how something works and recording it through writing, drawing and collecting. We use nature journals daily to help students record their observations, perceptions, and feelings about the natural world around them.
Mindfulness & Yoga
Worldmind believes that learning about your mind and body and the connection between them is an important part of school. We practice mindfulness — the practice of nurturing a focused awareness on the present — through a series of exercises every morning and encourage students to use it as needed throughout the day. Mindfulness is a growing practice that has been shown to help reduce stress, improve sleep quality, and heighten focus. Incorporated with our mindfulness approach, students are exposed to the practice of yoga at their developmentally appropriate level. Children are able to explore using their bodies in new ways to develop strength, flexibility, and coordination.
Kindergarten Curriculum
Our kindergarten class follows preschool curriculum, with a few modifications:
Literacy
Orton-Gillingham literacy curriculum helps teach reading more effectively by allowing children to break down how and why letters and words sound the way they do. Using multiple senses, children can better understand the rules of the English language. This is effective in the classroom because it allows educators to teach children in the way that each individual child learns best.
Math
Kindergarten math curriculum comes from EngageNY. These modules are marked by in-depth focus on fewer topics. They integrate the Common Core Learning Standards, rigorous classroom reasoning, extended classroom time devoted to practice and reflection through extensive problem sets, and high expectations for mastery.
Forest School
Forest School is a unique learning philosophy that offers people of all ages the opportunity to learn personal, social, technical, academic and environmental skills in a natural environment. This part of our curriculum combines environmental education with forest school skills which include: fire skills (building, lighting, maintaining, cooking, putting out, and leave no trace), forest tools (using a variety of different tools to create with wood), nature art and design, and shelter building. Two Worldmind teachers trained in the UK Forest School model lead this programming for our kindergarteners in one 2-hour session per week.
Enrollment
Enrollment Process for Worldmind Early Education
Call us with any questions before scheduling a tour: 303.309.4019
Schedule a tour and parent interview here to see if your family would be a good fit for Worldmind. If a good fit, you will be invited to apply.
Fill out online enrollment application. There is a $75 application fee.
An acceptance letter and tuition contract will be sent via email.
Sign and return contract.
Pay a non-refundable deposit of $1,000. This deposit will be applied to the tuition balance.
Students must be 3 years old to attend Worldmind Early Ed; all students must be potty trained.
Please find more information on the Enrollment Process on our FAQ page.
Information below reflects classes and tuition rates for the 2024-2025 school year.
There is a 10% tuition discount for siblings.
Tuition
Application Fee: $75
Tuition Deposit: $1,000
We offer the following tuition payment plans:
One Payment – The tuition deposit is deducted from the total tuition and the balance is due August 5th, or on the first day of the month in which the student begins attending Worldmind, at a prorated rate. Payment methods include credit card with a 3% transaction fee, ACH transfer or check with no transaction fees.
Two Payments – The tuition deposit is deducted from the total tuition and the balance is divided into two equal payments due August 5th, and November 5th, or beginning on the first day of the month in which the student begins attending Worldmind and on the first day of a subsequent month to be determined by Worldmind. Payment methods include credit card with a 3% transaction fee, ACH transfer or check with no transaction fees.
Ten Payments – The tuition deposit is deducted from the total tuition, a service charge of $10 per month is added, and the balance is divided into ten equal payments, or beginning on the first day of the month in which the student begins attending Worldmind. Tuition payments are due the first day of every month, starting August 1, 2024, and ending May 1, 2025.
Deposits – A non-refundable deposit of $1,000 per student is due upon acceptance into the school. This deposit will be applied to the tuition balance.
Tuition Discount – There is a 10% discount for siblings.