The Village Ltd. Launches Active Pilot Program in Denver-Area Schools, Opens Waitlist for 2026/2027

Denver, CO – 01/05/2026 – The Village Ltd., a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization dedicated to transforming social-emotional learning in early childhood education, is proud to announce that its groundbreaking I BElong!™ Series is now in active pilot across six schools in the Denver metropolitan area.

The pilot program, featuring the first classroom kit in the series, "I Am Beautiful! You Are Beautiful!", is currently being implemented in partnership with Denver Public Schools and Goddard Schools of Arvada. The program is reaching approximately 300 PreK through Grade 1 students and the pilot will remain active through the end of the 2025/2026 school year.

"We're incredibly excited to see our research-based approach come to life in real classrooms," said Annmarie Maynard, President & CEO of The Village Ltd. "The enthusiasm from educators and the engagement we're seeing from students confirms that early intervention during critical developmental windows can make a meaningful difference in how children understand themselves and connect with others."

About the I BElong!™ Series

The I BElong!™ Series represents a first-of-its-kind approach to early childhood social-emotional learning. Grounded in an interdisciplinary framework that integrates developmental psychology, sociology, early childhood education, and bias and behavioral development, the program is specifically designed to:

• Impede bias development by intervening during critical early childhood years before biases take root
  

• Cultivate empathy through interactive stories and purposeful activities that teach perspective-taking and emotional recognition
  

• Build executive function skills including self-regulation, cognitive flexibility, and problem-solving
  

Each immersive classroom kit includes an engaging read-aloud storybook featuring nine diverse child protagonists, educational toys, and year-round activities that create what The Village Ltd. calls "mesh scaffolding"—an interconnected system of reinforcing experiences that support consistent social-emotional growth.

2026/2027 Waitlist Now Open

With the current pilot program full and actively underway, The Village Ltd. is now accepting applications for its 2026/2027 manufacturing cycle. Spots are currently limited to 50. The program is offered completely free of charge to PreK - Grade 1 educators throughout the United States, with no obligations or hidden costs.

"Our mission is to make evidence-based social-emotional learning accessible to all early childhood classrooms," added Annmarie. "By removing financial barriers, we can ensure that every child has the opportunity to develop the cognitive and emotional tools they need to thrive in an increasingly complex world."

Educators and school leaders interested in joining the 2026/2027 waitlist can apply at - Classroom Kit Waitlist