Highland · Licensed center
DPS/ECE Valdez Montessori
- Large center, licensed for 120 children.
- A public school program, per Colorado's licensing records.
- Shortlist has found no website for it yet.
What the state has found
The state lists 4 visits below. Shortlist has not read the reports behind them, so there is no share of visits that cited something to set beside other providers yet.
State record — Colorado Department of Early Childhood
- Last visit
- May 20, 2026
- On file
- 4 visits since November 2023
- Fixed?
- The latest correction deadline was May 20, 2026. Colorado Department of Early Childhood does not publish whether it was made.
- Most serious
- Colorado Department of Early Childhood does not publish a severity level for a citation, so there is no most-serious to name.
Colorado’s Department of Early Childhood lists each program’s complaints on its Colorado Shines page, with the department’s verdict on each and a report behind it, going back about three years. Older complaints are released only on request. The department does not rank complaints by severity in either place.
May 2026 Supervisory visit 1 finding
Supervisory visit · May 20, 2026
2.229.C · Correction due May 20, 2026
In room 127, Rocky Mountain Sunscreen labeled 'keep out of reach of children' accessible to children.
Required correction: Items labeled 'keep out of reach of children' must be inaccessible to children. Correct immediately. Corrected on site. Teacher moved the sunscreen to a shelf inaccessible to children. No response required. Correct by 05/20/2026
Sep 2025 Supervisory visit 2 findings
Supervisory visit · September 24, 2025
2.229.C · Correction due September 24, 2025
In the bathroom of room 128 multiple bags of wipes labeled "keep out of reach of children" were stored in a floor-level cupboard without a lock and were accessible to children.
Required correction: Immediately (9/24/2025) ensure all items labeled "Keep out of reach of children" are inaccessible to children at all times. Teacher corrected at time of visit by moving wipes to a high shelf out of reach of children and placing a child lock on the lower cabinet. No further response is required. Correct by 09/24/2025
2.229.G · Correction due September 24, 2025
In the bathroom of room 128 a roll of empty plastic bags was stored in a floor-level cupboard without a lock and were accessible to children.
Required correction: Immediately (9/24/2025) ensure all loose plastic bags are inaccessible to children at all times. Teacher corrected at time of visit by moving bags to a high shelf out of reach of children and placing a child lock on the lower cabinet. No further response is required. Correct by 09/24/2025
Oct 2024 Supervisory visit 3 findings
Supervisory visit · October 7, 2024
2.120.C.1.a
In a review of 13 staff files, three staff members (V. W, K.R., and A.F.) were found to be missing documentation of TRAILS clearance letters.
2.213.A · Correction due October 7, 2024
In a review of 13 staff files, three staff members (V. W, Y.C., and K.R.) were found to be missing completed documentation of pre-service building and physical premesis safety training.
Required correction: All staff must complete a pre-service building and physical premesis safety training prior to working with children. Correct Immediately. Provide written verification to licensing specialist that the staff members completed the training and place documentation in their files. Correct by 10/07/2024
2.230.B · Correction due October 7, 2024
the groundcover on the ECE playground to be loose in multiple places in the grassy area to pose a tripping hazard.
Required correction: Indoor and outdoor equipment, materials and furnishing must be sturdy, safe, and free of hazards. Correct immediately. Corrected at time of visit. No further response necessary. Correct by 10/07/2024
Nov 2023 Supervisory visit 5 findings
Supervisory visit · November 17, 2023
7.702.41.G · Correction due December 17, 2023
Staff file reviewed M.W. (DOH 9/28/23) to be missing inital medical statement.
Required correction: Obtain and update file with required documention. Submit written response to specialist. Correct by 12/17/2023
7.702.42.B · Correction due November 17, 2023
Staff file reviewed M.W. to be missing current department approved standard precautions training.
Required correction: Obtain and update file with required documentation. Correct immediately. Submit written response to specialist. Correct by 11/17/2023
7.702.71.G · Correction due November 17, 2023
Room 128 to have loose plastic bags in a drawer next to sink accessible to children posing a possible hazard.
Required correction: All loose plastic bags must be inaccessible to children at all times. Correct immediately. Corrected at time of visit. Lead teacher placed inaccessible to children. No further action needed at this time. Correct by 11/17/2023
7.702.91.D · Correction due November 17, 2023
Room 128 to have the following hazardous items accessible to children in unlocked cabinets: paper cutter and hot glue gun.
Required correction: All hazardous items must be inaccessible to children at all times. Correct immediately. Corrected at time of visit. Lead teacher placed all items inaccessible to children. No futher action needed at this time. Correct by 11/17/2023
7.702.42.G · Correction due November 17, 2023
Staff file reviewed, A.J. to be missing department approved child abuse training.
Required correction: Obtain and update files with required documentation. Correct immediately. Correct by 11/17/2023
Where this record comes from
The Department of Early Childhood keeps about three years of complaints on a program’s public page. Anything older is released only on request, as a single file covering the whole state. Shortlist asked for that file under the Colorado Open Records Act and renews it yearly; it is what this page shows for complaints older than the department’s own window.
The file this page is built from arrived on October 10, 2026 and covers complaints the department publishes today, and complaints back to January 2023 obtained by records request. The next request goes in October 2027.
The department publishes a report for each of these visits. Shortlist has not read those reports yet, so this page shows when the state came and not what it found.
Ask for this program’s record now
The department will also review one program’s complete file on request, which is more than either source above contains. Leave your email and Shortlist will ask for DPS/ECE Valdez Montessori’s file specifically, instead of waiting for the next one.
Shortlist replaces people’s names in the state’s text with initials. This is done by rule, not by hand, so it can miss a name or shorten a word that isn’t one. The state’s report, linked on each row, has the original.
Openings, child care subsidies, cost, hours and late pickup, teaching approach, ratios and staff, a typical day, and sick and biting policies aren’t on this page.
Details
- Address
- 2525 W 29th Ave
- License
- 85124, active
- Quality program
- Colorado Shines Level 4
Run DPS/ECE Valdez Montessori? Correct or add anything here, free.
Add what is missingSources and dates
Where every fact on this page came from, and when Shortlist last checked it against that source. Anything Shortlist could not source is named here rather than left blank.
Details
- Address, License, Quality program — Checked July 2026 data.colorado.gov
- Who runs it — Checked October 2026 data.colorado.gov
Large means the biggest quarter of Denver-area’s 1,147 licensed centers by state-licensed capacity: 115 to 402 children. Small is 10 to 40; medium is 41 to 114.