Tucked in the Heart of Campus, CU Boulder’s Hidden Gem Turns 50

By Katie Miller, Liz Berube, and LJ Werner

If you’ve ever strolled past Fiske Planetarium on CU Boulder’s campus, you may have unknowingly passed by one of the university’s most cherished treasures. Nestled in the Speech, Language and Hearing Sciences (SLHS) building, just steps from the bustle of campus life, is a small but mighty early childhood program that’s been shaping young minds—and future educators—for half a century. 

This year, the Child Learning Center (CLC) proudly celebrates 50 years of serving children and families across Boulder and the greater front range. More than a preschool and toddler play group, CLC is a place where children aged 1.5 to 5 years and their families are uniquely and playfully supported to thrive by a dedicated team of early childhood specialists, including an early childhood special educator (ECSE), a speech language pathologist (SLP), an occupational therapist (OT), and an early childhood teacher (ECT).

A Unique Approach to Early Childhood Education

The CLC is an inclusive early childhood setting, meaning it welcomes a diverse group of children: those with typical needs, those with special needs, and children and families who are diverse in other ways as well. All children benefit from this model, as it promotes empathy and appreciation of differences. It prepares children to be in community with people who think and communicate in different ways, and to value the strengths and challenges that exist in all of us. 

The highly qualified and collaborative team relies on evidence-based best practices for supporting learning and growth in language and literacy development, social and emotional skills, cognitive development, and fine and gross motor skills. Through observing the children’s interests and needs, as well as incorporating family priorities, the teachers imbed rich and purposeful learning opportunities across play and daily routines. While the children lead the play, the adults provide just the right kind and amount of support at the right times to meet both individual and group needs. 

A Training Ground for the Future

While the children are at the heart of the CLC, the program plays a vital role in training the next generation of speech language pathologists and educators. Each year, over 20 CU Boulder undergraduate and graduate students from the SLHS department join the CLC’s multidisciplinary team to gain hands-on experience under the guidance of seasoned professionals. These future therapists and teachers don’t just learn theory—they learn how to connect, adapt, and create meaningful learning experiences based on each child’s interests and needs. The CLC classroom is a living lab of play-based learning and collaboration.

A Legacy of Learning and Love

The CLC first opened its doors in 1974 under the direction of Elizabeth “Tikki” Heublein to support the work of the late Dr. Rita S. Weiss. As an SLP, Dr. Weiss was devoted to supporting the language development of young children with a particular focus on the value of providing intervention within the classroom setting rather than removing children for individual therapy. Shortly after separating from the Department of Speech and Drama in 1969, the Department of Speech Pathology and Audiology, along with the Speech and Hearing Center, acquired several small buildings on campus. It was in the basement of a renovated house at 924 Broadway, still located just north of Regent Drive, where the preschool found its original home. Dr. Weiss received funding for a model project from the Handicap Children’s Early Education Program (HCEEP) administered by the Bureau of Education for the Handicapped (U.S. Department of Health, Education and Welfare). The project ran for 3 years, from 1974-77, with the overarching goal of “improv[ing] the language and related learning skills of 3 to 5 year-old language handicapped and bilingual (Spanish) children by a naturalistic, non-stigmatizing method.” Additionally, outcomes of the project had the potential to revolutionize the way SLPs conducted therapy in the school-based environment. 

Rita based her work on the cutting-edge ideology that a child’s innate predisposition to learn language can be cultivated through purposeful interactions in a natural, active learning environment. These philosophies laid the framework for which Dr. Weiss developed the INte-REActive Learning (INREAL) strategies. The INREAL strategies encouraged a balance of interaction between child and adult (verbal, nonverbal, or both). Previously, school-based speech and language intervention occurred outside the classroom, incorporating almost exclusively adult-led activities in which children received tangible reinforcements or praise for correct speech production. In this new method, the adult followed the child’s lead by matching their communication within play then gradually scaffolded the child’s language to a higher level. The interactions occurred in a natural, but intentional, manner. Following the conclusion of the project, the results were clear: the children who participated had shown significant growth in their language skills. Furthermore, longitudinal data collected between 1977-1980 confirmed that the preschool and kindergarten children who previously received learning supported by the INREAL strategies needed fewer remedial treatments later on and were less likely to be held back a grade compared to their peers. 

Spearheaded by Tikki Heublein and guided by Rita Weiss, the INREAL program set its sights on bringing the strategies to early childhood educators throughout the country. Incredibly, between the years of 1975-1986, the CLC secured more than $1,000,000 in various federal grant monies to sustain INREAL training programs, along with the preschool operations. As a result, thousands of school teachers and early childhood specialists received intensive training in the INREAL techniques across over 30 states, as well as several foreign countries including Japan, Germany, Costa Rica, and Canada. While formal training in the INREAL strategies is no longer taking place outside the CLC, this groundbreaking approach helped shape the way children’s language, cognitive, and social development is understood and nurtured. It continued on to inspire subsequent studies across the country and has been incorporated into several early language intervention programs that are still widely used today. 

The Storybook Journey

In 1980, the department moved to its current location along Kittredge Loop Road. It was here that another exceptional educator became embedded into CLC history. Sue McCord was hired as the CLC director in 1986 where she remained in this position until 2000. After graduating from Boston University’s Wheelock College in early childhood education, Sue spent 17 years at Cornell University teaching both university students as well as preschoolers in the on-site classroom. She moved to Boulder with her family in 1981 where she began work initially at the local Mapletree Preschool and later as the lead instructor of the demonstration preschool within Denver University’s speech pathology and audiology program. It was through these experiences where she first conceptualized a classroom curriculum centered around the impact of learning and play through storybooks. The CLC provided the perfect match for continuing to shape her ideas into what eventually became the Storybook Journey (SBJ) curriculum, first published in 1995 (revised in 2011). Gradually, the curriculum attracted attention and today has found a niche within a handful of small preschools nationwide who prioritized literature-based, child-centric learning. Within the SBJ, providers use a storybook as a springboard to plan experiences that build on all areas of development. The book is selected based on the interests of the children and is explored over an extended period of time (1-4 weeks). Each storybook serves as a vehicle to take the classroom on a collective journey weaving common language throughout activities like role-play, art, science, music, and nature to expand their learning from the story. Over time, the story begins to come alive in the classroom, and the themes and language permeate the home environment as well. The repetitive, yet flexible, nature of the SBJ allows educators to support each child’s unique developmental needs while simultaneously building a shared learning experience that includes all children.   

Still Going Strong at 50 

Over the years, much has changed at the University of Colorado. New buildings are continuously popping up to accommodate a rapidly growing student population, and technological advances have driven a fast-paced learning and social environment. Despite this, the CLC continues to be a timeless stronghold for the children of our community, embedded in the fabric of CU Boulder’s campus. The program has been thoughtfully refined over time; however, its foundation remains unchanged, rooted in what children need most: a natural, inclusive, and play-based environment that fosters early development and lifelong learning. Graduate and undergraduate students in the CLC still implement the INREAL strategies, supplemented with newer research supporting best practices in language development and social skills. The joy of the SBJ continued to guide the CLC classroom this past school year with books such as: We’re Going on a Bear Hunt by Mem Fox, Abiyoyo by Pete Seeger, and Pete’s A Pizza by William Steig. The CLC holds steadfast to its roots largely due to many inspirational individuals who have passed through its doors over the past 50 years. While they each brought their own unique experiences and perspectives, they all were devoted to instilling in children a passion for curiosity and learning, creativity, and, most importantly, connection with others. To this day, the CLC community remains dedicated to not only bringing rich, educational experiences to our youngest learners, but also training and inspiring the next generation of educators. After all, the future lies with all of them. 

The current CLC community would like to extend a heartfelt thank you to all those individuals who have been especially instrumental within the program over the past 50 years, namely: Elizabeth “Tikki” Heublein, Rita Weiss, Elizabeth “Zippy” Teas-Hester, Sara Gaar Ehrens, Cynthia Gray, Susan Moore, Sheila Goetz, Sue McCord, Barb Roscoe, Janine Randol, Amy Thrasher, and LJ Werner. Additionally, we sincerely appreciate those organizations who have supported the CLC in more recent years through grants and funding including: the Temple Hoyne Buell Foundation, the Scottish Rite Foundation, the Rose Foundation, the University of Colorado Foundation, the Colorado Department of Education, and the Early Childhood Council of Boulder County. Numerous others have made their mark on the CLC, including SLP clinical instructors, OTs, PTs, ECTs, student clinicians, interns and, of course, our wonderful families. We are grateful for each and every one of you!    

Celebrate With Us!

The CLC looks forward to celebrating its storied history in August 2025. If you have previously been part of the CLC community, or an affiliate of the SLHS department, and would like to attend, please contact clc@colorado.edu for more information. 

Join Our Community!

The CLC is always looking to welcome new families into our preschool and toddler programs. For enrollment inquiries, please contact clc@colorado.edu.