What Boulder Journey School does

Boulder Journey School, Inc. is a private early childhood education institution headquartered at 1919 Yarmouth Ave, Boulder, Colorado, operating a 17,000 square foot campus with 14 classrooms, an art studio, a materials studio, a theater, and outdoor learning areas. The school serves over 200 children ages 8 weeks through 5 years, operating 8.5 hours per day, 5 days per week, 12 months per year, with tuition rates that are not publicly disclosed. The institution has operated for over 25 years under a Reggio Emilia-inspired "contextual curriculum" philosophy developed in collaboration with educators from Reggio Emilia, Italy and informed by the work of Boulder-based educators Frances and David Hawkins.

The school's revenue model is diversified across four streams: (1) recurring early childhood tuition from enrolled families, (2) teacher education programming delivered through a strategic partnership with the University of Colorado Denver (offering MA Residency + Licensure in Colorado and a fully online Innovative Online MA), (3) professional development services including an annual two-day summer conference, in-person and virtual study tours (priced at $250 per person per day in-person and $250 per organization per hour virtually), self-paced virtual workshops (priced at $20 for 1-hour and $50 for 3-hour workshops, currently on hold), and "Messing About" workshops inspired by Hawkins pedagogy, and (4) customized consulting engagements for schools and educational organizations (clients cited include Westwood Early Childhood Center in St. Louis Park, MN; University and Community Early Learning Centre in Edmonton, Alberta; and the Edgar L. and Rheta A. Berkley Child and Family Development Center at UMKC). Underlying technology is limited to a Canvas-based learning management system (currently being migrated off following a security breach), a WordPress-hosted online learning database, and standard Zoom delivery for virtual programming; there are no proprietary AI or software products.

Boulder Journey School is privately held with no disclosed funding rounds, no parent company, and no public ticker; leadership includes CEO Sam Hall, Founding Executive Director Ellen Hall, Visionary Director Alison Maher, School Director Andrea Sisbarro, Administrative Director Christi Ogrodnick, Teacher Education Program Coordinator Jody Ogrodnick, Community Outreach Specialist Alex Morgan, and Office Coordinator Stace Phan. The organization markets through its website, social media (Facebook, Twitter/X, Instagram), an email mailing list, an annual summer conference, and word-of-mouth referrals within an international network of educators who visit the Boulder campus.

Name

Boulder Journey School

Legal name

Boulder Journey School, Inc.

Website

https://boulderjourneyschool.com

Company type

Private

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

Boulder Journey School is a private Boulder, Colorado-based early childhood institution serving over 200 children ages 8 weeks to 5 years across 14 classrooms. It supplements its tuition-based school with a CU Denver-partnered teacher education program and fee-based professional development services (conferences, study tours, workshops, consulting) for educators domestically and internationally.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Early Childhood Education

NAICS

Educational Services (61), All Other Schools and Instruction (61169), Educational Support Services (611710)

SIC

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

akta.pro primary industry

General Preschools (Play-Based) (EDACABAA)

akta.pro secondary industries

Preschool Programs within Childcare Centers (EDACABAL), School Group & Curriculum-Led Trips (THAKAGAB)

Keywords

• Early childhood education
• Private preschool services
• Teacher professional development
• Educator consulting services
• Reggio Emilia curriculum

Headquarters

HQ city

Boulder

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Early Childhood Education Tuition: Private school tuition for children ages 8 weeks to 5 years, operating 8.5 hours daily, 5 days weekly, 12 months yearly
2. Teacher Education Programs: MA + License teacher education program in partnership with University of Colorado Denver, available through residency or fully online format
3. Professional Development Services: Conference fees, study tour fees, virtual workshop fees, and consulting services for educators domestically and internationally
4. Study Tours: In-person and virtual study tours for educators, priced at $250 per person per day (in-person) or $250 per organization per hour (virtual)
5. Virtual Workshops: Self-paced asynchronous workshops for educators, priced at $20 for 1-hour workshops and $50 for 3-hour workshops

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

Boulder Journey School operates a private early childhood school serving over 200 children ages 8 weeks to 5 years across 14 classrooms in a 17,000 square foot Boulder, Colorado campus. The school also offers teacher education programs in partnership with the University of Colorado Denver and professional development services including conferences, study tours, virtual workshops, messing about workshops, and consulting for educators and schools domestically and internationally.

Product overview

Boulder Journey School operates as a private early childhood education institution offering a unified portfolio of educational services. The core offering is its physical school program serving children from infancy (8 weeks) through age 5 across 14 classrooms, complemented by an art studio, materials studio, theater, and outdoor learning areas. Supporting the school's educational mission is a comprehensive Teacher Education Program offered in partnership with University of Colorado Denver, providing both MA Residency + Licensure and fully online MA pathways. Professional development extends beyond the school through conferences (annual summer conference), study tours (in-person and virtual), virtual workshops, messing about workshops, and consulting services—collectively serving educators nationally and internationally. An Online Learning Database provides resources for families engaging in home learning.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Early Childhood Education Program

Quantifiable outcome

• Serving over 200 children and families
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers5 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• University of Colorado DenvercoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership offering Teacher Education Program accessible through MA Residency + Licensure Program in Colorado or as a fully online experience through the Innovative Online MA Program. Also offers Graduate Certificate programs. The partnership enables Boulder Journey School to grant advanced degrees while bringing their Reggio Emilia-inspired practices to a broader audience of educators.
• Hawkins Centers of LearningcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaboration inspired by the work of Frances and David Hawkins, who proposed that teachers deserve time and space to deepen their teaching practices through hands-on work with materials. The partnership supports 'Messing About With Teaching' Workshops for educators exploring 21st century education and understanding properties and affordances of materials.
• Reggio Emilia Schools (Italy)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerFor over 25 years, Boulder Journey School has been inspired by a strong relationship with educators from the world-renowned schools of Reggio Emilia, Italy, and intensive study of their philosophy and values. This relationship shapes the school's contextual curriculum approach.
• EdLab at Columbia UniversityminorGTM or Marketing PartnerFounding Executive Director Ellen Hall and Visionary Director Alison Maher discuss learning spaces with educators from EdLab via Vialogues platform, demonstrating international recognition and collaboration in education innovation.
• Frances and David Hawkins Educational PhilosophycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe work of Boulder-based educators Frances and David Hawkins has informed Boulder Journey School's educational approaches and ideas. Their philosophy of 'messing about' with materials as a teaching approach remains central to the school's professional development offerings.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Broad incumbents

• KinderCare Learning Companies: Large national chain of early childhood education centers serving infants through school-age. Comparable in target age range (8 weeks to 5 years) but operates at massive scale with a more standardized curriculum versus Boulder Journey School's Reggio Emilia-inspired contextual approach.
• Bright Horizons Family Solutions: Largest U.S. operator of high-quality early childhood education and care with employer-sponsored centers. Comparable as a broad incumbent offering premium early childhood programming at scale, though with a fundamentally different corporate/employer-paid model vs. Boulder Journey School's tuition-only, philosophy-driven approach.
• Primrose Schools: Franchise-based private early childhood education network with a research-informed Balanced Learning curriculum. Comparable as a premium private ECE brand with proprietary curriculum and educator training, but at much broader geographic and franchise scale than Boulder Journey School.
• Stratford School: Private school chain offering preschool through eighth grade in California. Comparable as a multi-site premium private preschool operator that targets affluent families, though it lacks Boulder Journey School's Reggio Emilia specialization and PD/consulting extension.

Direct peers

• Erikson Institute: Graduate school focused exclusively on early childhood education, offering degrees, professional development, and consulting. Comparable as a specialized ECE educator-preparation and PD organization serving a similar audience of practicing and aspiring early childhood educators.
• HighScope Educational Research Foundation: Research-based organization promoting the HighScope active participatory learning approach, with teacher training, curriculum, and consulting. Comparable as an alternative-pedagogy ECE organization that monetizes a research-grounded teaching philosophy through PD and dissemination, similar to Boulder Journey School's Reggio Emilia-inspired approach.
• Bank Street College of Education: NYC-based education institution offering progressive educator preparation and a demonstration school. Directly comparable to Boulder Journey School's combined model of a private early childhood school plus graduate-level teacher education and professional development offerings.

Emerging players

• The Nueva School: Independent Bay Area school known for innovative, research-based pedagogy and educator training programs. Comparable as a high-end private school that has built a national profile around a distinctive educational philosophy and disseminates practices externally through PD and consulting.
• Guidepost Montessori: Growing network of Montessori-inspired early childhood and elementary programs. Comparable as a philosophically-driven premium ECE brand scaling nationally with proprietary curriculum and teacher training, similar to Boulder Journey School's Reggio Emilia-inspired positioning.

Others

• National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC): Largest professional membership organization for early childhood educators, providing accreditation, conferences, and PD resources. Comparable as the dominant ecosystem player serving the same educator customers Boulder Journey School targets through its conferences and workshops.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/BoulderJourney
• Facebookfacebook.com/BoulderJourney
• Instagraminstagram.com/boulderjourney
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/boulder-journey-school

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

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

Frequently asked questions about Boulder Journey School