Teaching Tree Early Childhood Learning Center

What Teaching Tree Early Childhood Learning Center does

Teaching Tree Early Childhood Learning Center is a 501(c)-style nonprofit childcare provider founded in 1970 as United Day Care Center in Fort Collins, Colorado, and rebranded to its current name in 2010. It operates two licensed early childhood learning centers, one in Fort Collins (424 Pine Street, the original 1970 location) and one in Loveland (2366 East 1st Street, opened 1988), serving roughly 600 families per year across Larimer County. The organization is governed by a 10-person volunteer Board of Directors and is the county's largest nonprofit childcare center serving low-income families, with tuition set on a sliding fee scale based on family income and number of children enrolled, while full-fee rates are maintained below those of for-profit centers.

The core service offering is a unified early childhood care and education program delivered through four age-based tiers: Infant Care (6 weeks to 12 months), Toddler Ones (ages 1-2), Toddler Twos (ages 2-3), and Preschool (ages 3-5, potty-trained), all built on the Creative Curriculum framework with Teaching Strategies GOLD as the ongoing observational assessment system. Operations are managed through Procare childcare management software handling enrollment, attendance, billing, and family communications. In August 2025, Teaching Tree launched delivery of Colorado's Universal Preschool Colorado (UPK) program for qualifying 4-year-olds, adding a state-funded public revenue stream alongside tuition and charitable donations collected through the Colorado Gives platform.

Revenue is generated through three primary streams: (1) sliding-scale weekly tuition ranging from $166 to $465 per week depending on age tier and 2-5 day attendance pattern, (2) Universal Preschool Colorado state-administered funding for eligible 4-year-olds at $210/week (Loveland) and $225/week (Fort Collins 2026-27), and (3) charitable donations eligible for a 50% Colorado Child Care Contribution Tax Credit. GTM motion is direct-to-consumer through physical center enrollment, online waitlists via 123FormBuilder, and inbound phone/email inquiries handled by Enrollment Coordinators, supplemented by grassroots community engagement that has sustained the organization for over five decades.

Name

Teaching Tree Early Childhood Learning Center

Legal name

Teaching Tree Early Childhood Learning Center

Website

https://teaching-tree.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1970

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

Teaching Tree is a Larimer County, Colorado nonprofit operating two early childhood learning centers (Fort Collins and Loveland) that serve roughly 600 low- and middle-income families per year through sliding-scale tuition, Creative Curriculum-based programming, and state-funded Universal Preschool Colorado delivery for 4-year-olds.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Nonprofit Early Childhood Education and Childcare Services

NAICS

Child Care Services (624410)

SIC

Services-Child Day Care Services (8351), Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Toddler-Focused Childcare Centers (EDACAAAG)

akta.pro secondary industries

Infant-Focused Childcare Centers (EDACAAAF), Preschool Programs within Childcare Centers (EDACABAL), Center-Based Toddler Care (18–36 months) (EDACAGAB)

Keywords

• Early childhood education
• Nonprofit childcare services
• Preschool programs
• Infant daycare
• Sliding scale tuition

Headquarters

HQ city

Fort Collins

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Sliding-Scale Tuition Fees: Weekly tuition charged per age group and number of days attended (2-5 days/week). Families pay according to a sliding fee scale based on family income and number of children enrolled. Full-fee rates are retained below those of for-profit centers. Rates effective June 2, 2025; Fort Collins UPK rates effective June 1, 2026.
2. Donations and Fundraising: Charitable donations accepted online via Colorado Gives and by check mailed to the Fort Collins office. Donations qualify for a 50% Colorado state Child Care Contribution Tax Credit and may be deductible on federal/state returns.
3. Universal Preschool Colorado (UPK) Public Funding: Public funding through Colorado's Universal Preschool program for eligible 4-year-olds (must be 4 by 10/1/2025 for 2025-26; 10/1/2026 for 2026-27), supplementing tuition via state-administered UPK subsidy.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Teaching Tree Early Childhood Learning Center operates two nonprofit licensed childcare centers (Fort Collins and Loveland, Colorado) providing affordable, sliding-fee-scale early childhood care and education for children ages 6 weeks through 5 years. The service is structured around age-based tiers (Infant Care, Toddler Ones, Toddler Twos, Preschool 3-5) delivered via the Creative Curriculum and Teaching Strategies GOLD framework, with the state-funded Universal Preschool Colorado (UPK) program layered on for qualifying 4-year-olds. Together the centers serve nearly 600 families per year across Larimer County.

Product overview

Teaching Tree Early Childhood Learning Center operates a single unified service offering: nonprofit, affordable early childhood care and education delivered across two physical center locations (Fort Collins at 424 Pine Street and Loveland at 2366 East 1st Street) in Larimer County, Colorado. The core service is anchored by age-based program tiers — Infant Care (6 weeks-12 months), Toddler Ones (ages 1-2), Toddler Twos (ages 2-3), and Preschool (ages 3-5) — which all share the same Creative Curriculum® and Teaching Strategies GOLD® curriculum/assessment framework. Layered on top is the Universal Preschool Colorado (UPK) program, a government-funded preschool track for qualifying 4-year-olds. The two centers together serve nearly 600 families per year on a sliding fee scale based on family income and number of children enrolled, making Teaching Tree the county's largest nonprofit childcare center serving low-income families.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Teaching Tree Early Childhood Learning Center - Fort Collins Nonprofit licensed childcare center in Fort Collins, Colorado (424 Pine Street), serving nearly 600 families a year with affordable, sliding-fee-scale early childhood care and education for low- and middle-income families. Hours of operation: Monday-Friday 7:00am-6:00pm.
• Teaching Tree Early Childhood Learning Center - Loveland Nonprofit licensed childcare center in Loveland, Colorado (2366 East 1st Street), opened in 1988, providing affordable early childhood care and preschool services on a sliding fee scale based on family income. Hours of operation: Monday-Friday 6:30am-6:00pm; in-person tours available by appointment.
• Universal Preschool Colorado (UPK) Program State-funded Universal Preschool Colorado program delivered by Teaching Tree for qualifying 4-year-olds (must be 4 by 10/1 of the programming year). Loveland 2025-26 tuition $210/week for 4-5 full days (minimum 4 days); Fort Collins 2026-27 tuition $225/week for 4-5 full days. CCAP-funded families complete additional paperwork.

Quantifiable outcome

• Serves nearly 600 families per year across two Larimer County locations
• +3 more outcomes

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration1 record

Feature4 records

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Learning Care Group: Operates multiple for-profit early childhood brands (Childtime, La Petite Academy, Tutor Time). Comparable full-service childcare across infant through pre-K with curriculum-driven differentiation — meaningful for benchmarking tuition and wage economics.
• Primrose Schools: Franchised private preschool system offering infant through after-school care with a defined proprietary curriculum. Comparable age-tiered program structure, proprietary curriculum framework, and full-day care delivery as Teaching Tree.
• The Goddard School: Franchised private preschool system focused on infant through pre-kindergarten education with a play-based curriculum. Directly comparable to Teaching Tree on age tiers, curriculum-led positioning, and tuition-based enrollment model.
• Early Connections Learning Centers: Colorado-based nonprofit early childhood education provider serving low-income families through Head Start and state-funded preschool slots. Directly comparable mission, sliding-fee/grant-funded model, and Colorado regulatory environment.
• YMCA of the Rockies / YMCA Childcare Programs: Nonprofit community-based childcare and early learning provider offering sliding-scale and subsidized care. Closest structural analog to Teaching Tree: nonprofit governance, mission-driven affordability, and integration with community donations and state subsidy programs.
• KinderCare Learning Companies: National for-profit provider of early childhood education and care with thousands of centers. Comparable product offering (infant through pre-kindergarten care, structured curriculum) and serves families across income tiers, including subsidy-accepting sites — the closest for-profit analog to Teaching Tree's full-service center model.

Others

• Procare Solutions: Vendor of the childcare management software (Procare) that Teaching Tree uses operationally. Adjacent ecosystem player — relevant for benchmarking the tech stack but not a direct competitor.

Emerging players

• AppleTree Children's Center: Smaller-scale early childhood education provider using a defined research-based curriculum (often Creative Curriculum-aligned). Comparable age-tiered program structure and curriculum-led differentiation.

Regional players

• Boys & Girls Clubs of Larimer County: Nonprofit youth services organization operating in the same Larimer County footprint as Teaching Tree. Comparable nonprofit funding model (donations, grants), overlapping donor base, and shared community-rooted GTM motion.

Broad incumbents

• Bright Horizons Family Solutions: Largest for-profit operator of employer-sponsored and community-based early childhood care and education centers in North America. Directly comparable service offering (infant, toddler, preschool care with curriculum and assessment frameworks) but operates at vastly greater scale and for-profit margins.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/TeachingTree
• Facebookfacebook.com/TeachingTreeECLC
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/teaching-tree-early-childhood

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles14 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds1 record

Investors1 record

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M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Teaching Tree Early Childhood Learning Center