In 1946, Denver Public Schools (DPS) and the Rotary Club of Denver partnered to form Denver Boys with the purpose of providing academic support, mentorship, and job skills for boys who were dropping out of school to work and provide for their families when their fathers did not return from WWII. Denver Girls was founded in 1970 to follow the same model of academic and mentor support. In 1993, Denver Kids became the merged entities of Denver Boys and Denver Girls to consolidate programs and funding.
Our unique public/private partnership with DPS continues today. Specializing in educational counseling—a one-to-one, relationship-based, long-term approach dedicated to building character, academic achievement, and positive development of the whole child—Denver Kids strives to help students use education and the development of social and emotional skills as tools to create career and college pathways.
The newest chapter of the Denver Kids journey began in July 2019, when fellow youth-serving organization Denver Urban Scholars merged with Denver Kids. With a combined 97 years of experience serving Denver youth with mentorship and academic support, the newly merged Denver Kids is poised to reach Denver youth in new and exciting ways.
As we work through the impacts of a global pandemic, and strive to meet the academic, social and emotional needs of our students, our model is stronger than ever. And our students need us more profoundly than ever before.
