Every morning at Golden Aspen Bilingual Preschool in Gunbarrel, the same thing happens. Mary Claire walks in, and the children can't wait to see her.
“The special moment with the children happens to me every single day. As soon as I get here, they are so excited to see me… It’s just a wonderful welcome every day.”
Mary Claire is a Corps Member with Early Childhood Service Corps (ECSC), a Colorado nonprofit that trains adults 50+ to work and volunteer in preschools. This Colorado Gives Day, Tuesday, Dec. 8, your gift can help more adults like her find a place in a classroom, and help more young children start school with another caring adult in their corner. Colorado Gives Day early giving is open now, so you don’t have to wait.
A second career in early childhood education, on her own terms
Mary Claire taught kindergarten for 20 years. She loved it, and she was ready to retire. But she wasn’t ready to stop being around children.
“I worked really hard as a kindergarten teacher for 20 years. I loved being with the kids, but I was happy to retire as well… I still wanted to be connected to children, and I just didn’t want all the responsibility [of] working full time… So this was absolutely perfect.”
About a year after retiring, she trained with ECSC. She has taught at Golden Aspen since February 2024.
Her story is a familiar one for many adults over 50. They want meaningful, flexible work with children, without the full-time load. ECSC offers three paths: paid classroom roles, classroom volunteering, and volunteer business advising (where professionals help preschool directors with HR, payroll and compliance).
What 20 years of teaching brings to a preschool classroom
Mary Claire’s experience shows up in small, everyday moments. She’s a big sports fan, and she turns that into math:
“I always talk to the kids about the Brewers or whatever team is playing, and I use that as a math lesson, because we look at the score and they have to decide which number was higher.”
She also helps the children get ready for what comes next: talking about letters, reading books together and noticing letters on the page. She has watched children grow from age two and a half to five, and some have already moved on to kindergarten.
That kind of attention adds up. Across ECSC’s Partner Sites, 80.6% report improved child engagement and participation thanks to ECSC support.
What it means for a small Colorado preschool
The Colorado Department of Education lists early childhood education staff as being in critical shortage. For small centers, finding and keeping good teachers can decide whether a classroom stays open.
Marta is the director and co-owner of Golden Aspen. Two of her teachers came to her through ECSC, and an ECSC coach helps her team observe children and work through hard decisions.
“It’s just a lot of help to small centers that are looking to succeed.”
— Marta, Director and Co-Owner, Golden Aspen
Golden Aspen isn’t alone. 82.4% of ECSC Partner Sites report increased staff retention because of ECSC support. At one Partner Site, staff turnover fell from 28% to just 10% over four years.
Being important to a child is a gift
Ask Mary Claire what this work means, and she’ll tell you: “Being important to a child is a gift.”
It has also given her something she didn’t expect:
“Because of Early Childhood Service Corps, I feel connected to a community: of children, of the other staff, and of the parents.”
She isn’t the only one. In ECSC’s latest survey, 59% of Corps Members said they are living a more meaningful life, and 57% said they feel a stronger sense of belonging in their community. That’s what intergenerational programs in Colorado can do at their best: children gain another caring adult, teachers get support, and adults 50+ find purpose and connection.
How your Colorado Gives Day gift helps
When you donate to early childhood education in Colorado through ECSC, you support the whole journey, from an adult's first training class to their first morning in a preschool classroom.
"All of our money goes to programming, support and training, so you can rest assured that anything that you give to Early Childhood Service Corps, we're going to take it seriously and use that money well."
— Lisa Armao, Founder and Executive Director, ECSC
Every gift made between now and Dec. 8 counts toward Colorado Gives Day and increases ECSC's share of Colorado Gives Foundation's $1M+ Incentive Fund, so your donation goes even further.
Giving takes about a minute
Click "Donate" and choose a one-time or monthly gift.
Select "Continue to checkout," and you're done.
Over 50 and looking for your own next chapter?
If Mary Claire's story sounds like you, ECSC may be your next step. Whether you're looking for part-time work with children, volunteer opportunities for adults over 50 in Colorado, or a way to put a business career to good use, we'll train you and match you with a preschool near you. Applications for our 14th Cohort close Monday, Dec. 14. Join a free info session, held Mondays at 11:30 a.m. MT, to learn how it works.
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Sharing helps too. Email this story to a friend who cares about young children, or to someone 50+ who might be ready for a new chapter of their own.
