Contact Us
Information: (720) 865-9930
Address: 270 14th St.
Denver, CO 80202
Frequently Asked Questions
We would like to welcome you to the web site for the Denver Warm Welcome Court Child Care Center! Here you will find information regarding the Center, how to use it and some background information as you prepare for business with the court.
The Denver Warm Welcome Court Child Care Center has been in operation since May of 1999. Each year the Center serves over 1,700 children whose parents or guardians have business with the Denver County and District Courts. Many of the clients are those who have been called for Jury Duty and need child care assistance while they complete their civic duty.
The Denver Warm Welcome Court Child Care Center is operated by Mile High Montessori Early Learning Centers, a non-profit child care agency in the Denver metro area which has been serving families and children for over 30 years. The Center is fully licensed as a small child care center by the State of Colorado and complies with all state licensing and health regulations. The staff are all qualified Early Childhood professionals with extensive backgrounds in the Early Childhood field.
On behalf of the Denver Warm Welcome Court Child Care staff, I would like to welcome you to the Center and hope your experience with us is a positive one. Please feel free to contact us with any further questions you may have or any additional information you may need.
Michelle Zeutzius
Center Director
HISTORY:
The Denver Warm Welcome Court Child Care Center began as an idea in 1996.
The idea came about due to the increasing numbers of children in court settings. It was determined that not only was it disruptive to the court proceedings, more importantly it was not a place for children. Children should not be exposed to many of the proceedings that take place in the court system. For this reason the Denver Bar Association formed a committee to look at options for the City and County of Denver Court system.
The idea of court child care originated in New York and spread to California and very predominately in Massachusetts. In Massachusetts, for instance, it has been established that all courthouses in the state will have some type of court child care.
In 1999, Chief Justice Mary Mullarkey established a policy for Colorado that any new court building must have some type of family-friendly waiting area so that children are not present in the courtroom.
The building which is now the Denver Warm Welcome Court Child Care Center was once the Visitor’s Center for Denver. When the project began, Mayor Wellington Webb and the City of Denver donated the building to establish the Court Child Care Center. A group of individuals from the original committee established the Court Child Care Board and hired Mile High Montessori Early Learning Centers to help in the development of the project. After extensive renovations, the Center opened for business in May of 1999.
The Court Child Care Center is licensed by the State of Colorado to operate as a small child care facility. The Center is licensed for 20 children ages six weeks to twelve years. The Center can have up to five infant and toddlers (6 weeks to 2 ½) and fifteen children 2 ½ to 12 years of age. The Court Child Care Center is operated by Mile High Montessori Early Learning Centers, a non-profit organization in Denver who has been providing child care services to children for over 30 years.
The Center offers a wide range of activities for children to enjoy while they are at the facility. The staff are licensed early childhood professionals with years of experience and education in the field of Early Childhood Education.
POLICIES & PROCEDURES:
The Denver Warm Welcome Court Child Care Center is available to provide high quality care while parents or guardians attend to their court business. There are some policies and procedures in place to help insure the safety and well being of the children and staff and help the Center operate smoothly.
1. The Center is open from 7:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Monday through Friday. Clients may check-in 15 minutes prior to their scheduled appointment time. The Center is closed from 12:00 p.m. to 1:00 p.m. daily for lunch. Clients are expected to return immediately following their court business and before 12:00 if they are on a morning docket. The only exception to this is if the Judge holds the case over lunch. In which case, the Judge or Court Clerk must call the Center to let them know prior to 12:00. Clients may return 15 minutes prior to the scheduled start time for the afternoon docket.
2. A brief admission process will take place upon arrival. If possible, please obtain a referral from the court prior to check in. The purpose of the admission process is to gather some basic information and get you on your way.
3. Snacks will be provided while the children are attending the Center.
4. The Center maintains a high level of security, including locked doors and gates. Clients must ring the buzzer and be escorted in. The child(ren) will only be released to those persons checking the child in. They will not be released to anyone other than the signing person.
5. Our goal is to check clients in quickly and get them on their way back to court. We ask that parents/guardians help us do that by filling out the admission paperwork, meet the staff and be back on their way. Waiting around can sometimes make the separation much more difficult on the child.
6. When checking in at the courts, please give them your Validation Card. This alerts the court staff to the fact children are at the Center and they can call us (or vice versa) should something happen.
7. If a child is left at the Center and no emergency contact can be made, the Center will notify the Crisis Center. It is important to notify the Court Child Care staff of any courtroom or location changes.
There are times clients abuse the privileges of the Center and may be refused service. The following are reasons for refusal at the Court Child Care Center:
1. Failure to return immediately following court business.
2. Using the Center when no court business is scheduled i.e. shopping, etc.
3. Children who exhibit any type of illness which may be contagious, including but not limited to head lice, infections requiring antibiotics, fever over 99 degrees, excessive runny nose or cough, drainage from the eyes, ears and/or nose and any other illness that can be transmitted to the other children.
4. Children who are taking antibiotics for illness less that 24 hours and/or the taking of over the counter medications 24 hours prior to their visit.
5. Using loud, abusive, aggressive language or profanity with the staff while in the Center.
6. Any physical or aggressive manner with the staff including extreme rudeness.
7. Unverifiable court business.
8. Any aggressive action towards a child. It is at the staff’s discretion to notify Human Services of any suspected child abuse or neglect.
9. Without written permission from the legal parent/guardian, children who are not directly related to or in custody of the client may not be admitted.
We want your experience with the Denver Warm Welcome Court Child Care Center to be a positive one. Working together we can do it! For any questions or concerns, please notify the Director at 720-865-9930.
Welcome to our Center!