Clayton Early Learning

Education services: Clayton Early Learning operates our school on a twenty-acre historic campus in northeast denver. Clayton Early Learning is nationally recognized as an epicenter of ece practice. In our denver school, approximately 33% identify spanish as their primary language and nearly 90% qualify for the free and reduced lunch program. We directly serve nearly 900 students birth-to-5 in our school, through home-based and other programs, and through partnerships across Colorado. We are succeeding in closing and preventing Learning gaps for disadvantaged children through a powerful model unique to Clayton Early Learning that harnesses the synergy of four dynamic initiatives - research, practice, training, and advocacy.

Campus preservation program: Clayton Early Learning owns 20 acres of land on which 12 buildings have been constructed for educational purposes. Of these, eight buildings are more than 100 years old and the property has been designated as a historic district by both the city of denver and the national registry of historic places. Clayton's obligation is to preserve and maintain these buildings and protect the exterior land and its park- like setting. All buildings are occupied by Clayton staff or by other non- profit organizations focused on education, health, and/or social services.

Research and evaluation: Clayton Early Learning impacts the school readiness of approximately 20,000 children in Colorado annually by impacting and improving the quality of hundreds of Early Learning settings. Clayton is a data driven, evidenced based organization, constantly collecting data to measure how well a child is doing and how school ready they are when they leave our campus. We measure the success of our work with training and coaching programs by tracking the improved quality of teaching using Colorado's quality rating and improvement system, Colorado shines. Our all inclusive model sets us apart as we are constantly researching and evaluating our practices both internally and externally to improve the quality and effectiveness of Early care and education programs.

Clayton plays an integral role in policy change for child care and Early Learning initiatives. We partner with other organizations in Colorado to inform and promote effective and efficient Early childhood education policies. We are proud to serve as subject matter experts on issues that impact children and families.