Lakewood · Licensed center
The Applewood School
- Medium play-based center, licensed for 55 children.
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
- August 18, 2026
- On file
- 4 visits since January 2024
- Fixed?
- The latest correction deadline was September 18, 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.
Aug 2026 Supervisory visit 5 findings
Supervisory visit · August 18, 2026
2.230.C.8
A brown broken plastic toy container with sharp edges on GM playground posing a potential safety risk.
2.229.G · Correction due August 18, 2026
One loose plastic gallon sized plastic bag, one trash bag, one plastic shopping bag on the YE playground in an unlocked cabinet. Observed 2 open boxes of gallon sized ziplock bags in a box on a lower shelf in the GM2 classroom. All bags were accessible to children.
Required correction: Loose plastic bags must be stored in areas inaccessible to children. Correct by 8/18/26. Staff removed all the loose plastic bags and placed then in the office area where children are not allowed. Corrected at the time of inspection. No response necessary. Correct by 08/18/2026
2.209.A.7 · Correction due August 18, 2026
Licensing Specialist reviewed 8 child files and observed one child to have an expired emergency medical authorization.
Required correction: Obtain a current medical emergency medical authorization. Correct by 8/18/26. Document compliance to Specialist by 9/18/26. Correct by 08/18/2026
2.209.B.4 · Correction due September 18, 2026
Licensing Specialist reviewed 8 child files and observed one child to have an expired health statement.
Required correction: Obtain a current health statement. Correct by 8/18/26. Document compliance to Specialist by 9/18/26. Correct by 09/18/2026
2.217.A.14
Two staff members in the YE2 classroom with 11 children. The YE2 classrom serves children ages 24-36 months of age.
Oct 2025 Supervisory visit 2 findings
Supervisory visit · October 7, 2025
2.122.A · Correction due October 7, 2025
The center to be missing a compliant health inspection.
Required correction: Obtain a compliant health inspection. Correct by 10/7/25. Document compliance to Licensing Specialist by 10/14/25. Correct by 10/07/2025
2.229.G · Correction due October 7, 2025
One roll of loose plastic trash bags, accessible to children, in an unlocked lower cupboard in GM2 classroom.
Required correction: Loose plastic bags must be stored in areas inaccessible to children. Staff moved the roll of loose plastic trash bags to a locked cupboard. Correct by 10/7/25. Corrected at the time of inspection. No response necessary. Correct by 10/07/2025
Dec 2024 Supervisory visit 5 findings
Supervisory visit · December 2, 2024
2.120.I · Correction due December 2, 2024
Reviewed 8 staff files and observed C.S. to have an expired TRAILS background check.
Required correction: All individuals requiring a background check must review Navigating the Background Check Investigation Unit's (BIU) Webpage powerpoint. Submit verification that staff member C. S. has reviewed the powerpoint within 24 hours. Submit documentation of TRAILS for staff member C. S. with written response to the Specialist. Correct by 12/2/24. Document compliance to Specialist by 1/2/24. Correct by 12/02/2024
2.121.D.5
Reviewed 8 staff files and observed C.S. to have an expired FBI and CBI background check.
2.230.C.1.a · Correction due December 2, 2024
On the Preschool playground the climbing wall and the area below the ladder of the main climbing structure to have less than 6 inches of resilient surfacing. Each area had less that 4 inches of wood chips and the equipment is over 18 inches in height.
Required correction: All climbing equipment eighteen (18) inches or higher must have resilient surfacing of at least six (6) inches in the use zone surrounding the equipment. Correct by 12/2/24. Document compliance to Specialist by 1/2/24. Correct by 12/02/2024
2.213.D · Correction due December 2, 2024
Reviewed 8 staff files and observed M.G. to have an expired Prevention of Shaken Baby training.
Required correction: Staff working with children less than three (3) years of age must complete a Department-approved prevention of shaken baby/abusive head trauma training prior to working with children less than three (3) years of age. This training must be renewed every two (2) years. Correct by 12/2/24. Document compliance to Specialist by 1/2/24. Correct by 12/02/2024
2.209.B.4 · Correction due January 2, 2025
Reviewed 8 child files and observed 1 child to be missing a health statement completed by a health care provider.
Required correction: The center must maintain and update annually and upon changes, a record on each child that includes: A copy of the child’s health statement completed by a health care provider. Correct by 1/2/24. Document compliance to Specialist by 1/2/24. Correct by 01/02/2025
Jan 2024 Supervisory visit 5 findings
Supervisory visit · January 10, 2024
2.209.A.7 · Correction due January 10, 2024
Reviewed 8 child files and observed one child to be missing current emergency medical authorization.
Required correction: Obtain current emergency medical authorization. Correct by 1/10/24. Document compliance to Specialist by 2/10/24. Correct by 01/10/2024
A broken toy bin, accessible to children, with sharp edges posing a potential safety hazard on the Great
2.213.N · Correction due February 10, 2024
Reviewed 9 staff files and observed no staff member to have a current CDPHE Immunization course.
Required correction: All staff responsible for the collection, review and maintenance of the child immunization records must complete the CDPHE immunization course. Correct by 2/10/24. Document compliance to Specialist by 2/10/24. Correct by 02/10/2024
2.229.L · Correction due January 10, 2024
A container of small pom poms in the Young Explorers 2 classroom on a shelf accessible to children. The Young Explorers classroom has children under age 3.
Required correction: Any area of the facility accessible to children less than 3 years of age must be free of any choke or inhalation hazards. Correct by 1/10/24. Assistant Director removed the pom poms from the classroom. Corrected at the time of inspection. No response necessary. Correct by 01/10/2024
2.230.C.3.c
A climbing wall on the Great Minds playground to be within 3 feet of a fence on one side.
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 The Applewood School’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, ratios and staff, and sick and biting policies aren’t on this page.
How they teach
Play-based and nature and outdoor
“We also prioritize outside time and nature based play.”
What it costs
$1,927 to $2,100 a month
Denver-area comparison hidden until they say which age this price is for.
- Part time
- $1,364 to $2,035 a month
A day here
- Hours
- 7:30 AM to 5:30 PM, 5 days a week
- Outdoors
- students play outside daily, weather dependent
- Closed
- 10 holidays and breaks a year
Dates
January 1-2 New Years, January 19 MLK Day, February 16 President's Day, March 23-27 Spring Break, May 25 Memorial Day, June 19 Juneteenth, June 29-July 3 Independence Day/Summer Break, September 7 Labor Day, November 25-27 Thanksgiving Break, December 21-January 1 Winter Break
Details
- Website
- applewoodschool.com
- Address
- 1690 Simms Street
- License
- 1721339, active
- Quality program
- Colorado Shines Level 1
- Ages they serve
- ages 1 through 6
Run The Applewood School? 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 applewoodschool.com/curriculum.php
- Approach — Checked July 2026 applewoodschool.com/about-us.php
What it costs
- Monthly tuition, Second price — Checked July 2026 applewoodschool.com/hours-fees.php
A day here
- Outdoors — Checked July 2026 applewoodschool.com/classrooms.php
- Hours, Closed — Checked July 2026 applewoodschool.com/hours-fees.php
Details
- Website — Checked July 2026 applewoodschool.com
- Address, License — Checked July 2026 data.colorado.gov
- Quality program — Checked April 2026 data.colorado.gov
- Ages they serve — Checked July 2026 applewoodschool.com/about-us.php
Medium means the middle half of Denver-area’s 1,147 licensed centers by state-licensed capacity: 41 to 114 children. Small is 10 to 40; large is 115 to 402.