Play. Create. Perform. Repeat.

Now enrolling for the 2024-25 school year

Playcrafter Kids Preschool

We are a licensed and insured childcare center located in the heart of Fort Collins. We cater to children ages 2.5 - 6 years old, with a strong emphasis on play and the creative arts. Our low 1:8 ratio ensures individualized care and ample space for children to thrive, play, and forge lasting friendships.

We are currently enrolling for the upcoming school year, scheduled from August 12, 2024 - May 23, 2025 (with closures similar to Poudre School District). Additionally, we offer summer camps in June and July.

Our regular schedule is as follows:

  • Monday to Thursday: 8AM to 5PM

  • Friday 8AM to 4PM

Half-day programs are available from 8AM to 12PM and 1PM to 5PM.

Starting in the 2024 - 25 school year, we will have two classrooms available:

  1. Storybook Forest: For children ages 2.5 - 4.5 years old (potty training in process)

  2. Musical Meadow: For children ages 4 - 6 years old (qualifies for UPK)

three girl children playing on the floor with a pizza toy

Play lies at the heart of Playcrafter Kids Preschool. Each day offers an open invitation for inquisitive children to explore, imagine, create, and learn about the world and their place within it. Through exposure to a diverse range of performing and visual arts and skills, children unlock their innate creativity while delving into various topics, emotions, and scenarios.

We kindly blend the philosophies of Montessori, Waldorf, and Reggio to provide our children with a well-rounded program tailored to their individual needs and applicable to real-world situations. Social-emotional skills are seamlessly woven into our curriculum, fostering connections, communication, and self-awareness among our students.

Why the creative arts?

The creative arts foster the development of a unique sense of self-awareness while promoting empathy, communication, connection, and teamwork. When utilized as a learning tool, the performing arts support and guide children in exploring their world.

The performing arts encompass the expression of emotion, tone, and more. When children engage in drama, dance, music, and art from a young age, they are more inclined to express themselves without fear of judgment from peers. Through ensemble thinking, children collaboratively work together, building social-emotional skills that will serve them throughout their lives.

Enrollment Process

  • After reviewing our website, contact us via phone or email to chat and see if we’re a good fit. If so, we’ll schedule you for a tour of our program. We are located at the Foothills Unitarian Church, 1815 Yorktown Ave., Fort Collins, CO.

  • Your spot is held with a $75 deposit. This deposit is non-refundable, though $35 does apply to your child’s first month of care.

  • We use an app called BrightWheel for all paperwork and parent communication. Once we start the account creation process, you’ll receive an email invitation to join. Each family must register for a BrightWheel account to attend.

  • We will share all required forms with you before your child’s first day. All forms must be completed and submitted to BrightWheel before enrollment is official.

What Our Families Are Saying

  • a classroom of young children dancing and celebrating with confetti

    “We LOVE Playcrafter Kids!!!!! Our kids have participated in preschool and summer camps with Deanna and are absolutely obsessed! Deanna and her staff get to know each student individually and meet each student where they are at. We love the small class sizes and play-based learning environment. My oldest has some sensory and emotional regulation difficulties and Deanna was nothing but compassionate, understanding, and supportive in meeting his needs. He is succeeding in kindergarten right now because of Deanna and Playcrafter Kids!”

    Alex C.

  • five children in the corner of a room building with large cardboard boxes

    “We are so happy with Playcrafter Kids. It is wonderful to find the right preschool for your child! There’s a great positive energy from Deanna and the other teachers. Kids learn and grow from thoughtfully planned play-based activities in a welcoming new space. My child can be very bold and outgoing…but only if she feels supported by teachers who really understand how to interact with young kids. Day one, she loved it at Playcrafters!”

    Alisa S.

  • eight children sitting on the floor in a circle

    “We absolutely love Playcrafter Kids! Each one of the teachers and the Director has taken the time to get to know our kiddo as an individual and have always met him right where he’s at. He is so, so happy at Playcrafter Kids, and we truly could not ask for anything more! We feel so lucky to be a part of this community!”

    Lindsey S.

  • four children in a circle at a table drawing with markers on paper

    “We are soooo happy we signed our 3 year old up for preschool with Playcrafter Kids. He is thriving and his days are packed with fun and he’s learned so many social/emotional skills already. We adore the teachers and they all love and know our child so well. It’s been such a gift to us this fall to have him there 3 days a week. We get photos throughout the day of him playing in the playground or in the sandbox, building an imaginary world with cardboard, riding bikes, dance parties, music time, story time... they are the whole package.”

    Heather J.

Frequently Asked Questions

  • We accept UPK (see below) and have a limited number of CCCAP spots available.

    Our 2024-2025 rates are monthly from August until May and have been discounted to account for closure at Christmas, Thanksgiving, Spring Break and all major holidays. Tuition is the same each month despite how these holidays may fall. Rates will be different during the months of June and July for optional summer camps.

    Note: AM is from 8:00-12:00, PM is 1:00-5:00 and FD (Full Day) is from 8:00-5:00 except Fridays 8:00-4:00.

    2-day program AM/PM $365 FD $705 w/UPK FD $50

    3-day program AM/PM $525 FD $995 w/UPK FD $365

    5-day program AM/PM $795 FD $1,445 w/UPK FD $850

    Drop-In Rate* AM/PM $50 FD $95 (if numbers allow for it)

    *Child must be registered in order to participate.

    ADDITIONAL FEES

    • Application Fee

      • One-time application fee of $75. Non-refundable; however, $35 applies to your child’s first month at Playcrafter Kids Preschool.

    • Supply/Enrichment Fee

      • Yearly fee of $250 for 5 days; $150 for 3 days, $100 for 2 days. This can be paid upfront or monthly (over 10 months August-May).

  • Universal Preschool (UPK) is a new state funded program for 4 year olds by 10/1/24 to receive 15 free hours of preschool a week for the 2024-2025 school year.

    Only providers who electively choose UPK can offer this service to families. The state requires UPK learning hours to use an approved curriculum. Playcrafter Kids will continue to participate in Colorado’s Universal Preschool Program (UPK).

    For the 2024-2025 school year, we have 3 Full Day options for UPK:

    2 Full Days: Tuesday/Thursday

    3 Full Days: Monday/Wednesday/Friday

    5 Full Days: Monday-Friday

    (Do note the monthly tuition rates above.)

    Enroll your child before March to guarantee an available UPK spot with us. Feel free to reach out and let us know that you’re interested!

  • YES! We are mandated to follow all of the state’s requirements including the number of children. Our teachers are up to date on all required classes and our intentional spaces are child appropriate and fun.

    NOTE: We’re in the process of expanding to a large center and will have 2 rooms with up to 15-18 children at any given point.

  • At drop-off, the children are greeted and invited to play outside and/or pick an activity. At 9:30 a.m., we begin hand washing and snack time. After snack, we start our Morning Meeting with song, creative drama warm-ups, story, and conversation. We introduce new activities in the morning.

    Next it is play cycle where the children get to choose their activities. This time may also be when an enrichment teacher joins us.

    Lunch time is at 11:30 a.m. If it’s a warm day, we go outside to eat and always stay to play. The end of the AM day we continue to play and wrap it up with our open-ended journals where everyone creates a drawing and then presents to the group.

    Our Full Day friends will settle down and rest. Pick-up is between 11:45AM-12:00PM for AM friends and drop off is 1:00-1:15PM for PM friends.

    The afternoon is similar with additional ACTivities, snack and outdoor play. Pick-up is 4:30-5:00 p.m. or 3:30-4:00 p.m. on Fridays. We’re flexible in pick-up and drop-off. We just ask that you communicate with us.

  • Yes, the children get to choose from a variety of organic, low-to-no sugar snacks daily at our AM and PM snack times. Lunch is provided by the child’s family. We ask that you send cold lunches or thermos to keep food warm.

  • We use Brightwheel, a management software and app. Through this app, families can communicate with teachers, pay tuition, view daily pictures, and check their child(ren) in and out. It also allows Playcrafter Kids Preschool to be paperless.

  • Yes, we are fortunate to have Frankie, a 17 lb Westie/Jack Russell terrier mix, join us daily.

photo of wood tables, chairs and classroom cubbies

Have a question?

Send us a message and we will get back to you as soon as possible.