Stories
Early School expanding this fall
August 4, 2025
new teachers and elevated program for children starting at age three
Big things are happening for Aspen Country Day School’s youngest learners. The Early School program is growing — with new teachers, an additional classroom, and an enhanced play-based curriculum designed to build confidence, resilience and joy in learning for every child.
“In these important early years, we believe learning should be joyful, while also preparing children for kindergarten and their journey through the grades,” says Head of Lower School Adam Hancock, who also leads the Early School Program. “At Aspen Country Day School, children have highly qualified teachers who know how to bring out the best in their students every day — as learners, as friends, and as true members of our school community.”
Aspen Country Day School is home to 300 students from throughout the Roaring Fork Valley, from age three through Eighth Grade. While many schools or standalone early childhood programs keep their youngest learners separate, Aspen Country Day’s Early School students are fully immersed in the broader school community. Here, they thrive alongside students in the Lower and Middle Schools, benefitting from a sense of belonging, connection, and continuity from the very start.
Early School students take part in every element of Aspen Country Day School’s three-part mission in academics, arts, and outdoor education. They are cherished by the older students, who often read and play with them as part of the school’s buddy grade program. Most importantly, they are guided by caring, experienced teachers who help them build confidence, resilience, and joy in learning.
“I am pleased to introduce the teaching teams for the coming school year in the Early School at Aspen Country Day School,” says Hancock. “This is an exceptional lineup and we are looking forward to a terrific year ahead.”
For Preschoolers
For preschoolers, there is one classroom called the Aardvarks, named after the school mascot. Children who are three years old on or by August 31 may attend three, four, or five days per week. Students learn and play under the guidance of three dedicated, full-time teachers:
Returning: Katie Hill, now in her fourth year at Aspen Country Day School, began teaching at the Early Learning Center in Aspen in 2007, becoming a lead teacher and earning her director qualification. With degrees in psychology and sociology from the University of Georgia, she has a deep commitment to professional development and holds certifications in multiple programs such as Pyramid Plus, Raising a Reader, and Colorado Shines (PDIS 6, the highest level).
New: Mallory Radney joins the Early School from Aspen’s Early Learning Center, where she served as assistant director and as a preschool teacher since 2020. Mallory earned her director’s certificate and early childhood professional credential Level 3, with training from the ChildCare Education Institute. She holds a BS in public relations from the University of Wisconsin.
New: Olivia Taylor joins the Early School from Ajax Cubs and Ajax Sleepaway Camp, where she was a preschool lead teacher and outdoor education leader. Olivia studied music and musical theater at Murray State University in Kentucky. Her professional experience also includes work at Disney World.
For PreKindergarteners
For prekindergarteners, there are two classrooms: Bears and Foxes. Children who are four years old on or by August 31 may attend five days per week. Children are guided by two experienced, full-time teachers:
Bears
Returning: Kerry Bidlack is one of two co-directors of the Early School program. She has taught at Aspen Country Day School since 2003, starting in Fifth Grade and teaching Middle School French before joining the early childhood classrooms. She has a BS in art education from Rhode Island College and was a teacher trainer for three years in the Peace Corps in Mali, West Africa.
New: Julie Young joins the Early School from Aspen’s Wildwood School, where she was a lead teacher for four- and five-year-olds. Before starting at Wildwood in 2014, Julie earned a BA in psychology and elementary education at Western State University in Gunnison, Colorado, and worked in Boulder as a reading specialist. She has training in advanced strategies for reading intervention including work with Dr. Barbara Wise of Colorado Reading Solutions.
Foxes
New: Tanaia McBride joins ACDS from the Wildwood School in Aspen where she worked since 2022, most recently as a teacher for children ages four and five. Tanaia earned a BS in human environmental sciences from the University of Arkansas with a concentration in child development. She has worked with children for 17 years and is joining ACDS along with her own two children.
Returning: Casey Scarry is one of two co-directors of our Early School program. A member of ACDS early childhood teams since 2016, Casey studied at Colby-Sawyer College in New Hampshire and then earned a degree in human services with a minor in early childhood education at Fisher College in Boston.
All three classrooms: Aardvarks, Bears, and Foxes
Returning: Paula Prikryl, a teacher in the early childhood classrooms at Aspen Country Day School since 1997, will be supporting all three classrooms. She has a BA in speech as well as a degree in theater arts from Colorado State University.
More about the Early School at Aspen Country Day School
Play-based program
At Aspen Country Day School, the journey begins with the most essential element of early childhood education: play. Play is the cornerstone of a strong foundation for future academic and social success. Through imaginative exploration — whether with peers, independently, or alongside caring teachers — children develop vital skills in communication, early literacy and math, motor coordination, and problem-solving. The ACDS Early School program is intentionally designed to give children rich opportunities to discover, experiment, create stories, navigate social dynamics, and make meaning through play.
Curriculum
Aspen Country Day’s Early School Program is grounded in The Creative Curriculum, a research-based whole-child curriculum from Teaching Strategies. It is widely regarded for building children’s confidence, creativity, and critical thinking, making it an excellent match for the Aspen Country Day School mission.
Teaching excellence
Nancy Schulman, a veteran of both the acclaimed 92nd Street Y and Avenues School, is helping elevate the Early Years program at Aspen Country Day School. She will continue engaging with teachers over the course of the year with a goal of creating the best possible experience for children and families. Teachers pursue extensive additional professional development to stay current with best practices.
All-inclusive tuition including lunch for Fours
Four- and five-year-olds in the Bears and Foxes classrooms now come to the ACDS Dining Hall daily for a healthy, family-style hot lunch. Children in the Threes class bring lunch from home, as teachers find it best that children have familiar food and fewer transitions at this age. Tuition is all inclusive; there are no extra charges for lunch, daily bus service, supplies, or field trips.
Tuition assistance available
Aspen Country Day School offers tuition grants to help make a private school education more affordable for local families. All grants are based on need as determined by a confidential and streamlined process.
For more information, please contact Susan Glah, director of admissions & financial aid, at admissions@aspencountryday.net or 970-429-3851
“Play is often talked about as if it were a relief from serious learning. But for children, play is serious learning. At various times, play is a way to cope with life and to prepare for adulthood. Playing is a way to solve problems and to express feelings. In fact, play is the real work of childhood.”
– Fred Rogers, You Are Special: Neighborly Words of Wisdom from Mister Rogers, 1995