ABOUT ZIJI

Ziji is a Tibetan word meaning radiance, brilliance, and confidence. This confidence embodies the inherent radiance of the human heart which naturally extends to others. Ziji is a sense that we trust our own being, which allows us to embrace life fully. 

Ziji Early Elementary School is a mixed-age kindergarten through second grade school with 16 to 20 students and two experienced teachers and an assistant in the morning.

With mixed ages and low student-teacher ratios, Ziji offers learning through creative engagement and potent academics.

Ziji is led by experienced teachers who understand that these formative years are crucial to helping students feed their innate love of learning and their sense of self.

At Ziji, the essence of childhood—the wonder, curiosity, and boundless joy—is embraced and nurtured in an environment that blends best educational practices with the latest insights in neuroscience and child development research. At the heart of Ziji’s curriculum is play; each day gives children plenty of supervised, unstructured time both indoors and out to do what they need and want to do. Through self-directed activities, students lay the ground for abstract thinking and problem solving and engage in functional movement. Time with friends nourishes their souls and naturally develops social emotional skills.

Ziji’s choice to limit itself to kindergarten through second grade is intentional. A mixed age group of children can play so deeply and creatively. This period of early childhood is one of both concrete and magical thinking, where a curious, playful mind can stay tender and open to the world. The neurological shift that happens around age 8 makes for a natural transition . 

Ziji Early Elementary was started in 2010 by parents and teachers who wanted an intimate setting for their children to begin their educational journey. In 2011 Ziji moved to it’s current home, an acre of land in northeast Boulder. 

Children move into formal academics in first grade with a hands-on, engaging, heart-centered curriculum. The curriculum reflects decades of experience working with young children, including research-based approaches to learning. With small class size, Ziji has the luxury of meeting students’ individual needs while creating a cohesive learning community. Deep dives into subjects are interwoven with experiential learning activities. When children leave Ziji, they are not afraid to work hard. Their love of learning is not only intact, but nourished. Time at Ziji has prepared them well for what’s next; they are confident and ready to jump in.

Just as each day at Ziji follows a predictable rhythm, so too does the annual cycle of nature-based festivals and seasonal rituals. Parents come together to share in community with their children and other families through dancing, feasting, art making, and revelry.