Aurora · Licensed center
New Horizon Academy
- Large Creative Curriculum center, licensed for 182 children.
What the state has found
The state lists 12 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
- April 21, 2026
- On file
- 12 visits since July 2024 · 3 complaint investigations
- Fixed?
- The latest correction deadline was May 22, 2025. 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 2025 Supervisory visit 2 findings
Supervisory visit · May 22, 2025
2.229.C · Correction due May 22, 2025
At the time of the visit, observed in PK-B a jug of Purell Sanitizer in an unlocked cabinet, under the sink, accessible to children.
Required correction: Immediately ( 5/22/2025), items labeled "keep out of reach of children" must be inaccessible to children. **Corrected at the time of the visit when the director moved the sanitizer to a locked cabinet, making the sanitizer inaccessible to children. Submit a written statement of future compliance by 5/29/2025. Correct by 05/22/2025
2.223.A.2 · Correction due May 22, 2025
At the time of the visit, observed in PS-A, the teacher stated that 16 children were in the classroom, but only 15 children were signed into the classroom on the written attendance verification form.
Required correction: Immediately ( 5/22/2025) The time a child arrives and leaves the center each day must be recorded. Staff members must complete written attendance verification periodically throughout the day, including transitions. **Corrected at the time of the visit, when the teacher corrected the written attendance verification form. Submit a written statement of compliance by 5/29/2025. Correct by 05/22/2025
Apr 2025 Complaint Unfounded
Complaint · April 24, 2025
Sep 2024 Limited Supervisory visit 1 finding
Limited Supervisory visit · September 24, 2024
2.229.C · Correction due September 24, 2024
At the time of the visit, observed in Pre-K B, sunscreen labeled "keep out of reach of children" to be accessible to children in an unlocked cabinet under the sink.
Required correction: Immediately (9/24/2024) All items labeled keep out of reach of children must be inaccessible to children at all times. **Corrected at the time of the visit when the Director locked the cabinet, making the sunscreen inaccessible to children. Submit a written statement of future compliance by 10/1/2024 Correct by 09/24/2024
May 2024 Complaint Founded
Complaint · May 8, 2024
May 2024 Complaint 2 findings
Complaint · May 8, 2024
2.230.B · Correction due May 8, 2024
Observed at the time of visit a cord to a light up table to pose strangulation hazard to children.
Required correction: Immediately, 5/8/2024, indoor and outdoor equipment, materials and furnishings must be sturdy, safe and free of hazards. Corrected at time of visit by provider securing cord to wall. Submit statement of compliance by 5/15/2024. Correct by 05/08/2024
2.127.D · Correction due May 8, 2024
Observed at time of visit classroom One's C to be lacking the posting of staff to child ratio.
Required correction: All facilities must post in every room the license capacity of the room and staff to child ratio. Corrected at time of visit by provider posting the required ratio. Submit statement of compliance by 5/15/2024. Correct by 05/08/2024
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 New Horizon Academy’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, tuition, hours and late pickup, and sick and biting policies aren’t on this page.
How they teach
Creative Curriculum, play-based and STEAM
“Balanced Approach Find a balance between child-initiated exploration and teacher-directed activities.”
Who cares for your child
Susan Dunkley (Founder) since 1971.
Of 1,717 Denver-area providers, 15 publish how long a named staff member has been there; the longest tenure at each of those has a median of thirteen years.
What it costs
- Siblings
- May be eligible for a sibling discount (amount not published; ask local director)
A day here
- Meals
- Breakfast, lunch, and snack included in tuition (the brand’s policy for all its schools)
- Diapers
- Diapers provided in infant classrooms (the brand’s policy for all its schools)
- Updates for parents
- Mobile app for daily updates and photos (the brand’s policy for all its schools)
Details
- Website
- newhorizonacademy.net
- Address
- 21600 E. Quincy Ave
- License
- 1763328, active
- Quality program
- Colorado Shines Level 4
- Established
- 1971
Run New Horizon Academy? 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.
How they teach
- Approach — Checked July 2026 newhorizonacademy.net
Who cares for your child
- Staff newhorizonacademy.net
What it costs
- Sibling discount — Checked July 2026 newhorizonacademy.net
A day here
- Meals, Diapers, Updates for parents — Checked July 2026 newhorizonacademy.net
Details
- Website — Checked July 2026 newhorizonacademy.net
- Address, License, Quality program — Checked July 2026 data.colorado.gov
- Established — Checked July 2026 newhorizonacademy.net
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.