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 SEL 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.
As we work through the impacts of an ongoing 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.
In 2021, Denver Kids celebrated 75 years of serving youth in our community. Click on our timeline above to take a walk through the history of our organization by decade, and learn how you can support our next 75 years.
