Boys & Girls Clubs of Metro Denver and University Prep Open Early Childhood Education Center at Suncor Boys & Girls Club 

Denver, CO - January 22, 2024 - Boys & Girls Clubs of Metro Denver and University Prep (U Prep) are partnering to launch an early childhood education center (ECE) at Suncor Boys & Girls Club in Commerce City. The ECE will operate one classroom serving four-year-old children in the 2024-2025 school year with the hopes of expanding in future years. While the ECE will be housed within the Suncor Boys & Girls Club building, ECE program operations and licensing will be held by U Prep.   

Boys & Girls Clubs of Metro Denver is one of Colorado’s largest youth development organizations, serving over 28,000 kids and teens ages five through eighteen at 25 unique Boys & Girls Club locations. Of these locations, 18 are based within Metro Denver schools, including two sites located within U Prep’s elementary schools. The partnership between Boys & Girls Clubs of Metro Denver and U Prep began in 2023 with the opening of U Prep Arapahoe Street Boys & Girls Club and U Prep Steele Street Boys & Girls Club.   

Both organizations are committed to providing youth with access to opportunities and resources that allow them to not only envision successful futures for themselves but also equip them with the tools to turn their dreams into reality. Erin Porteous, Chief Executive Officer of Boys & Girls Clubs of Metro Denver, said, “At Boys & Girls Clubs of Metro Denver, our decisions are driven by our paramount priority of serving more kids. We are so pleased that our partnership with U Prep will offer a new way to extend resources to some of our youngest community members. We also want to thank Suncor for their support in designating a portion of Suncor Boys & Girls Club for expanded programming that will reach children in this critical age group – these are kids we hope will one day be Boys & Girls Clubs members!”     

In addition to serving more kids, the ECE will play a part in addressing the significant need for preschool care in Metro Denver and offer caregivers a one-stop option for preschool and out-of-school care for their children from ages 4 – 18. David Singer, Founder and Executive Director of U Prep said, “We have spent multiple years listening to parents in Commerce City and learning from their wants and needs. While research around the limited number of high quality, tuition-free PreK seats is incredibly compelling, the powerful voices of families is even stronger. We’re thrilled to be launching our new school for the core Commerce City community starting with PreK in partnership with Boys & Girls Clubs of Metro Denver as it’s a chance to take action on what we heard loud and clear, and an incredible opportunity to serve our new community’s youngest learners.”   

Buildout for the ECE is scheduled to commence in the spring of 2024. Under all licensing and compliance rules with the newly formed Colorado Department of Early Childhood Education, the ECE will operate separately from Suncor Boys & Girls Club, though housed within the same building. Registration for the ECE will open in spring 2024 with the program launching in August 2024. The PreK program will run from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m., Monday through Friday, with after-care available daily from 3 – 5 p.m. Caregivers who are interested in enrolling their 4-year-old can do so by visiting https://uprepschool.org/prekforcommercecity/ or contacting U Prep’s Director of Student Recruitment & Enrollment, Thelma Behnke (tbehnke@uprepschool.org) .  

Boys & Girls Clubs of Metro Denver and University Prep  are steadfast in their dedication to ensuring affordability and accessibility for all. New members can now register online to seize the opportunity for growth, learning, and fun.    

For more information about Boys & Girls Clubs of Metro Denver, visit bgcmd.org. For information about U Prep, visit uprepschool.org.