Alaya Preschool in Boulder is facing closure after 46 years after Naropa University decided to sell the property.
Alaya, a preschool that emphasizes nature, mindfulness and social-emotional learning, has launched a fundraising campaign to raise $2.2 million to save the school. If the money isn’t raised by June, the property will be sold on the open market.
“When a school closes, it has a huge impact on the community,” says Alaya Principal Rachel Steele, adding, “In a situation like this, the community has to come together and decide what is important.”
Since opening in 1976, the school has educated over 1,000 students. It serves 52 children, 47 of whom are on the waiting list until 2027.
Alaya values open outdoor spaces and the children spend most of the day outside. Even when it is hot, they can be outside because the mature trees provide shade in the large courtyards. The school teaches the children to be mindful, regulate their emotions and have self-confidence.
“Something like Alaya doesn’t happen again in a place like Boulder,” Steele said. “It just doesn’t happen again. If Alaya goes away, there’s no way to restore what’s here.”
Naropa owns the preschool and formerly used it for its early childhood education program, which was discontinued about five years ago. Alaya is one of six properties that Naropa has sold or plans to sell, including the main campus, to improve its financial situation.
Mark Wilding, co-chair of Naropa’s board of trustees, said Naropa is selling Alaya because it no longer has any connection to the university’s mission.
“The number of small colleges going out of business is astronomical, and we simply have to manage our resources responsibly,” he said.
However, he said he had a “heart connection” with Alaya.
“It’s about this long-term relationship that we have with Alaya, and we believe in it and we think it’s really important,” Wilding said. “We didn’t want to approach it as if we were just selling a piece of real estate, because that’s not part of what we do anymore.”
Steele said the property was valued at about $3.1 million and Naropa agreed to a direct sale with Alaya for $2.2 million. Alaya plans to become an independent 501c3 nonprofit organization governed by a board of directors.
Two of Boulder resident Jane Sykes Wilson’s three children attended Alaya School.
“We had a wonderful experience with Alaya,” she said. “It is a magical place where our children were supported and encouraged. It was a home for us and supported us as parents of young children.”
Sykes Wilson said her children have spent years working on their social and emotional resilience, learning who they are and how to care for those around them. As a new mother, she didn’t realize that was exactly what she wanted from a preschool.
“I just wish every child was given this time,” she said.
Boulder resident Cathy Lauderbaugh’s children also attended Alaya; one is still enrolled there and the other is now in the Boulder Valley School District.
She said there is no stress or chaos at the preschool. The teachers supervise the same group of students, so her children have the same teacher every year. Even the substitute teachers change, so the children already know them and are comfortable with them.
“We just saw him blossom,” Lauderbaugh said of her son, adding, “We saw our child, who suffered from great anxiety, just change. He wanted to go back to school. He made lasting friendships.”
According to Lauderbaugh, Alaya is a place where real bonds are formed between children, teachers and families.
“We don’t want to lose these institutions in Boulder,” she said. “They are what make Boulder Boulder and they are what attract people to move to this city and this community.”
Alaya is just beginning its fundraising efforts, but Steele said she is confident they will be able to raise the money.
“It’s really going to come down to the community coming together,” Steele said. “I’m really confident because we have such a strong and committed community here that we can come together and raise this money.”
Alaya hosts weekly meetings on Wednesdays at 5:30 p.m. at 3340 19th St. to provide community members with more information about the fundraising efforts. A free benefit concert will be held on September 22nd from 4 to 7 p.m. at the Fox Theater, 1135 13th St. in Boulder. Doors open at 3:30 p.m.
“We need the community’s support to keep Alaya there,” Lauderbaugh said.
For more information, visit savealaya.org.
