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If you thought the baby boom ended back in1964, you dont know the community just westof campus.

That section of Denver is so swarming with

children, says Sloan Armstrong (pictured), that sheand her husband, Jarrett, opened up a new franchise

of the Goddard School for early childhood education

in late September. When they did, the school broke

a company record for opening day attendance that

had stood for 30 years.

Out of 370 schools, we had the biggest opening

day, Armstrong says proudly. We have 125 kids, 18

teachers and two directors.

Not bad for the new school, where the main

floor seems as if its toddling-room-only and theres

a waiting list for infants and 1-year-olds. Barely

weeks into its first year, Goddard Denver at 1400

S. Emerson St. was already edging toward its capacityof 143. And the school the 17th in Colorado

hasnt even launched its programs for kindergarten

or school-age youngsters.

Each Goddard school can make [program]

decisions based on demand from the community,

and it seems like the demand here is for the younger

ages, says Armstrong (BA 05).

The popularity shouldnt be a surprise. DUs

Fisher Early Learning Center which opened in

2000 is so popular it only accepts new students

selected in an annual lottery. Goddard isnt as in-demand at that, but Armstrong is pleased with how the early childhood school has

gotten off the ground.

We were expecting to pull from all over, but surprisingly its mostly neighborhood people, she says. Im very pleased at howwelcoming the community has been.

Like Fisher, the Goddard program is about early childhood education, not day care. Kids arent warehoused, theyre taught. The goal

is to impart skills, encourage literacy and instill a love of learning even for kids as young as 6 weeks. And all in a converted office

building that used to be headquarters for the Denver Home Builders Association.

Armstrong and her husband, a commercial real estate developer, converted the two-story, 8,700-square-foot structure into cozy

classrooms last summer while also running the Aurora Goddard school. That institution has about 200 kiddos, as Sloan Armstrong

affectionately calls them, and about 28 teachers.

The Denver and Aurora Goddard schools follow the model developed under the Goddard system a nationwide for-profit early-

childhood education franchise company. Goddard began in Malvern, Penn., in 1986 as the inspiration of Anthony Martino, founder

of Aamco Transmissions and Maaco Auto Painting and Bodyworks. The company currently has preschool child-care franchises in 37

states.

Armstrong who went by Amanda Anderson in her DU days and majored in voice and minored in business says her life was a

bit unsettled until she met her husband, a former investment banker who scouted properties for Goddard owners.

He said, Youd be good at this, and I said, Are you crazy? she recalls. But I took a leap of faith and it ended up being absolutely

perfect for me.

The pair opened the Aurora school in March 2009 and the Denver school this year. Now Armstrong is building a business she believes

in and providing opportunities for DU students, too. One teacher is pursuing a masters degree at DU and an assistant is majoring in

early childhood education.

But the best part, Armstrong says, is creating a learning environment for students and letting teachers be creative in teaching

everything from art, music and dance to nutrition, manners and math. Spanish, too.

Its not just that the kids are learning their ABCs but knowing they are happy, Armstrong says. Thats really rewarding.

Richard Chapman

Eager early learnersSwarm of kiddos land at new Goddard preschool near DU

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