Sacramento Creek Ranch | Preschool
HRCS Preschool is launching August 2026 — and we’re building it alongside our community.
📍 Address: 2234 Busch Run, Fairplay, CO
HRCS Preschool is an outdoor nature-based program for children ages 3–5, on the same Sacramento Creek Ranch campus as our K–8 school. Children spend their days outside — exploring, building, observing, and playing in one of the most remarkable landscapes in Colorado. This isn’t a program with occasional outdoor time. Outside is where the learning happens, and the structure, the ratios, and the staff are all built around that.
Learning at Sacramento Creek Ranch
High Rockies Community School’s Fairplay program lives at Sacramento Creek Ranch, in partnership with Mountain Area Land Trust (MALT). Just outside of town, learning unfolds in open meadows, along forested trails, beside beaver ponds, and along Sacramento Creek. The land itself becomes the classroom, supporting outdoor, community-centered learning rooted in place and shaped by the rhythms of the mountain seasons. Set on conserved land, students learn within a landscape grounded in stewardship, community, and care for place. They observe wildlife, study ecosystems firsthand, track seasonal change, and build a deep sense of belonging to the land they call home.
Our Fairplay Learning Spaces
Our Fairplay program is designed so learning begins outdoors and flows inward only when needed. Each day, students move fluidly between spaces depending on weather, activity, and focus.
Outdoor learning spaces include:
- Trails, open fields, and gathering areas used daily for lessons, exploration, and free play
- Creekside classrooms along Sacramento Creek, including learning on the frozen creek during winter months
- Beaver ponds and surrounding ecosystems used for observation, science study, and nature journaling
- Campfire and gathering circles that support reflection, storytelling, and community connection
Indoor and semi-indoor learning spaces include:
- The Barn – used for focused academic work, small groups, and skills practice
- The Yurt – a warm, flexible space for instruction, circles, and creative projects
- The Greenhouse – used for hands-on learning connected to plants, seasons, and food systems
Students move seamlessly between these environments throughout the day, building independence, resilience, and comfort learning in dynamic conditions.
Is this right for my child?
Sending a three-year-old outside all day is a real thing to think about. Here’s what it actually looks like at HRCS: small groups, trained educators, and an environment built for young children — not just a scaled-down version of adult outdoor learning.
The maximum group is 16 children, with at least one adult for every six. Staff are trained specifically for outdoor early childhood education — weather safety, outdoor risk management, and knowing how to read and respond to young kids in natural environments.
Children come dressed for the day. Families get clear guidance on gear, layering, and what to expect each season. Rain, snow, and cold are part of it — not reasons to stay inside.
What children do here
A morning might start with a hike to check on a beaver pond. It might mean building with sticks and mud, tracking animal prints in fresh snow, or sitting still long enough to watch a hawk hunt. Math, language, science — children learn all of it the same way they’ve learned everything so far: by touching, moving, asking, and doing.
The mixed-age model puts 3, 4, and 5-year-olds together on purpose. Older kids practice patience and leadership. Younger ones learn by watching. It’s how children have always learned in families and communities, and it works especially well outside.
Program Options
HRCS Preschool opens August 31, 2026. All options are on the Sacramento Creek Ranch campus, alongside the K–8 program. Enrollment is limited to 16 students total per day.
Full Time
Monday–Thursday, Full Day (8:00am–3:30pm)
Part Time
Choose one of the following:
- Monday/Wednesday, Full Day (8:00am–3:30pm)
- Tuesday/Thursday, Full Day (8:00am–3:30pm)
- Monday–Thursday, Half Day (9:30am–1:15pm)
Tuition and Funding
Full Time — Monday–Thursday, Full Day (8:00am–3:30pm)
| UPK Status | State Covers | Your Cost |
|---|---|---|
| No UPK (3-year-olds & ineligible families) | — | $1,459.35/mo |
| 15-hour UPK (eligible 4-year-olds) | $620.78/mo | $838.57/mo |
| 30-hour UPK (eligible 4-year-olds) | $1,102.42/mo | $356.93/mo |
Part Time — choose one schedule below
Monday/Wednesday Full Day · Tuesday/Thursday Full Day · Monday–Thursday Half Day (9:30am–1:15pm)
| UPK Status | State Covers | Your Cost |
|---|---|---|
| No UPK (3-year-olds & ineligible families) | — | $729.68/mo |
| 15-hour UPK (eligible 4-year-olds) | $620.78/mo | $108.89/mo |
30-hour UPK does not apply to part-time schedules.
These are the maximum rates families will pay. We are actively fundraising to reduce family costs and will have scholarship options available. For UPK eligibility questions, contact the Colorado Department of Early Childhood at 303-866-5223.
3-year-olds
Tuition applies for 3-year-olds. HRCS may accept Colorado Child Care Assistance Program (CCCAP) funding for qualifying families.
4-year-olds — Colorado Universal Preschool (UPK)
If your child turns 4 on or before October 1, 2026, they’ll likely be eligible for Colorado’s Universal Preschool program. HRCS is completing the licensing process to participate as a UPK provider and expects to be fully approved for the 2026–27 school year. UPK covers up to 15 hours per week of free preschool, with up to 30 hours for families who qualify based on income or other factors. Families enrolling a 4-year-old complete both the HRCS application and a UPK application through the state — we’ll walk you through it once you have an enrollment offer. UPK provider status will be confirmed before the 2026–27 school year begins. Questions in the meantime? Visit upk.colorado.gov or call 303-866-5223, Monday–Friday 8am–6pm.
5-year-olds staying an extra year
If your child is Kindergarten-eligible (turns 5 on or before October 1) and you’d like one more year of preschool, tuition applies.
How Enrollment Works
Enrollment is lottery-based. Applications open each fall for the following school year, and a public lottery runs if we get more applications than spots.
- Your child must be 3 by September 15 to be eligible.
- Siblings of currently enrolled HRCS students and children of staff get priority.
- Children enrolled as 3-year-olds are guaranteed a spot the following year.
- Preschool enrollment doesn’t guarantee a K–8 spot — those are separate applications.
→View the full Preschool Admissions and Enrollment Policy
Ready to Apply?
Ready to apply?
Enrollment for the 2026–27 school year is open now. Space is limited to 16 students.
