-A Brief History of
Rude Park Child Care Center-
1921: Denver County Council of Parent Teachers Association purchased a plot of land that they then donated to the City and County of Denver to be used as a park and community center.
1932: Junior League establishes a nursery in the community center.
1945: City of Denver took over the management of the nursery and operated it six days a week.
1950: The nursery was taken over by the Community Chest (now known as United Way). At that time, the nursery was housed in a 60-year-old home. The house was inadequate. It was condemned by the city and repaired until repair was no longer feasible.
1958: The nursery was ordered to vacate the property. The Denver Lions Foundation accepted the challenge of building an adequate facility to house a daycare center. The Desk and Derrick Club (a women’s club for secretaries of attorneys and oil companies) purchased six lots needed for the project and donated them to the Denver Lions.
1959: Denver Lions raised $60,000 and the new facility was dedicated in April of 1959. Denver Lions managed the daycare nursery until 1972.
1972: Joined the Mile High Child Care Association (now known as Mile High Early Learning). Denver Lions managed the facility while Mile High Early Learning Center provided the curriculum and staffing.
1989: The Denver Lions raised $225,000 to renovate the twenty-nine-year-old facility to accommodate 60 children from infants to five years old.
2020: Denver Lions Early Learning Center board considered a plan to completely remodel the 60-year-old building, which proved to be cost prohibitive due to the cost of abatement of asbestos and building code requirements. In addition, the remodeling would not increase the center’s capacity.
2021: A Denver Lions Early Learning Center Capital Campaign Committee was formed to raise $7 million to build a state-of-the-art facility to serve 140 children.