Ana's PlaySchool
Welcome to Ana's!
Our
Home
About our home
In my home I value cleanliness, safety, beauty, comfort, and functionality. I have carried the same values into the portion of my home that is used for the PlaySchool. I have plants throughout the space, soft and inviting colors and artwork, and items that are child height, easily accessible, and inviting for interaction. By steering away from bright colors and overwhelming light up and music making toys, children are invited to interact with their space instead of being entertained and constantly stimulated by their environment.
our philosophy.
Ana's PlaySchool puts a focus on learning through independent, child interest-driven play. Our mixed aged classroom helps support social development, an increased variety of learning materials, and an opportunity for children to work together. We believe that each child is born a whole human and should be treated with respect and honored for the value the bring to each moment, no matter how old. We provide spaces for undirected play and creative thinking with a focus on natural materials and spending time outdoors. Children are able to experience safe risk-taking opportunities and are encouraged to evaluate the ability of their individual body to help keep themselves safe. We support kids to get muddy, get moving, and dive into learning!
Ana's PlaySchool is a license-exempt facility in the state of Colorado serving no more than four children at a time with no more than two children under 24 months. We are not vetted by the state for safety or compliance with state licensing regulations. As a license-exempt facility, we set our own standards of safety and work every day to create a play environment that is healthy, safe, and collaborative with the children and families we serve.
The Playroom
At Ana's, our playroom is designed to facilitate long stretches of uninterrupted play. We believe that exploration through play is essential to the growth of developing brains. The items in the playroom are primarily natural wood, metal, and cloth materials sourced second hand from the Denver area. Most of the materials are open ended items that do not have a specific use. Providing .....
Outdoor Space
We are so thankful for our large outdoor space here at Ana's! Our yard is the primary play zone for students throughout the day. We have a mud kitchen, swing set, slide, sand box, and lots of space for running around. At Ana's, we dress for the weather and make sure to spend time outside everyday.
Foyer
Just though our front entrance is our third kids zone. In the foyer, we have cubbies for personal belongings, a table for shared meals, a changing station for our younger friends, and space to sign in and drop off students for the day.
about ana.
Hi, my name is Ana and Ana's PlaySchool is run out of my home in the Belmar neighborhood on the edge of Denver. For over ten years I have worked with children and spent time learning about child development. I have been a mothers helper, nanny, teacher, program facilitator, and am finally building my own space to care for children. I have a bachelors degree in Studio Art from the University of Virginia where I also pursued classes in child development and disability research in education. Throughout my time learning about child development, I have experienced the philosophies of Montessori, Reggio Emilia, Resources for Infant Educarers (RIE), Conscious discipline, and Waldorf, among others. I have gathered pieces of each to inspire my own philosophy for the play space environment I have created here at Ana's. Looking forward to meeting you!
through the eyes of a child.
location.
We know children thrive in a predictable environment with routine activities and consistent expectations. We have a daily schedule that rotates seasonally to ensure time outside in the most comfortable temperatures of the day. The children are provided with a visual schedule each day so we can make a plan for whats coming up next together. In general the daily flow is: Drop off and morning snack, large chunk of play time, lunch and rest, afternoon snack, large chunk of play time. (*Younger children that may be taking more than one nap will be supported with their individual schedules.) For each large chunk of playtime we will strive to be outside and occasionally go on walking "filed trips" to nearby attractions. Within a 20 minute walk of Ana's we have access to multiple parks and playgrounds, a splash pad, a river walk, a community garden, a public library, and our local recreation center. Parents will be kept up to date with our whereabouts though our messaging center and are always welcome to join us for the walk!