Every young person deserves access to learning opportunities that ignite their passions, foster growth, and provide equitable access to resources. Through our Learning Dollars program, we’ve designed flexible funding models that help families overcome financial barriers to learning — allowing them to explore meaningful, out-of-school experiences on their own terms.

What Are Learning Dollars?

Learning Dollars provide families with the financial support to access resources and experiences that keep children engaged in fun, enriching, and educational activities. Whether it’s after-school programs, extracurricular camps, or specialized classes, Learning Dollars offers families the autonomy to invest in their children’s learning based on their unique interests and needs.

In a recent community-based initiative, RESCHOOL provided $12,500 in Learning Dollars to 25 children, with each child receiving $500. Families have used these funds to pay for educational tools, materials, and experiences that support their children’s academic and personal growth. By doing so, we supported families to bridge the gap between opportunity and access across communities in Denver, Aurora, and Adams County, where financial barriers can limit access to learning experiences.

These funds are more than just financial aid; they offer parents and youth more freedom and opportunity to participate in programs that suit their specific interests while expanding opportunities to discover new interests by engaging in activities from sports camps to art workshops. 

Why This Matters: Empowering Families and Expanding Access

The impact of Learning Dollars goes beyond the immediate educational opportunities. It broadens families’ networks, builds their confidence to access more spaces, and demystifies cultural and institutional barriers. By offering financial flexibility and providing support to navigate systems, we ensure that low-income and BIPOC families can engage with learning environments that may have previously felt inaccessible.

Moreover, this program helps to shift representation within cultural and educational institutions, fostering inclusivity and encouraging institutions to reflect the communities they serve.

How You Can Fit In

Whether you’re an organization, community partner, or donor, there are countless ways to get involved and help expand the reach of these essential programs. By supporting the Learning Dollars, you are directly impacting families’ ability to access transformative learning opportunities. Together, we can make sure that learning isn’t just limited to those who can afford it, it’s for everyone.

RESCHOOL’s Learning Dollars initiatives are an invitation for partners to join us in reshaping access to learning. To learn more about how your organization can support or partner with us, contact us today.

In a world where education systems have traditionally been one-size-fits-all, families experiencing systemic marginalization — often limited by lack of access and choice — are and have been demanding that learning environments be co-created in ways that reflect their values, needs, and aspirations. At RESCHOOL, we believe in investing in and supporting the efforts that families are actively making to shape their children’s education. Co-designing educational experiences is about rethinking decision-making in traditional systems and ensuring that learning opportunities reflect each family’s unique goals and experiences more equitably. 

For too long, systems have created barriers in ways where many families have had limited say in their children’s learning. The pandemic revealed much of what we all intrinsically know — that learning happens everywhere — in homes, communities, and everyday experiences. Families play a crucial role in fostering their children’s growth, whether by supporting schoolwork or exploring unique opportunities in their local communities. By co-designing learning ecosystems, we place families at the forefront, ensuring their voices are heard, respected, and valued in shaping the systems that impact their children.

Co-designing education isn’t just about choosing schools or extracurricular activities; it’s about partnering with families to create personalized learning paths that align with a child’s strengths, interests, and future goals. This means understanding families’ needs—whether it’s incorporating cultural experiences, hands-on projects, or offering flexibility in how, when, and where learning happens. At RESCHOOL, we have developed initiatives that support families in realizing their goals for shaping learning experiences tailored to their child’s unique journey.

Co-designing education has the potential to reshape not only individual learning experiences but also the educational system as a whole. By placing families and students at the center of decision-making alongside the wisdom of teachers and the broader educational community, we can foster a more inclusive and equitable approach to education. Co-design encourages students to take ownership of their learning, building their confidence and skills. It also enables families to continue advocating for their children’s unique needs, ensuring that education reflects their values and aspirations. Through this collaborative approach, we are witnessing a shift toward more flexible, personalized learning environments that serve diverse learners and communities.

As we look to the future, RESCHOOL remains committed to working alongside the most marginalized families to co-create education ecosystems that work for everyone and ensure that learning is learner-centered and inclusive of each family’s values. Whether through tailored learning experiences or community-driven initiatives, we are dedicated to supporting families and students to succeed on their own terms.

At RESCHOOL Colorado, we believe that learning happens everywhere. Our Pick-a-Pass Program is designed to expand access to meaningful, hands-on learning experiences in some of Denver’s most beloved cultural institutions. Through this program, families have the autonomy to explore, grow, and engage with the world around them on their own schedule.

What is Pick-a-Pass?

Pick-a-Pass provides year-long memberships to cultural institutions such as the Denver Zoo, Children’s Museum of Denver, and Denver Botanic Gardens. Families can visit these places as often as they like, at times that fit their lives. This flexibility helps create natural opportunities for learning—whether it’s observing animals at the zoo, exploring science at a museum, or enjoying the beauty of the gardens.

The program was created in response to the need for families to access cultural institutions together, rather than through individual child-focused opportunities. Paola Ramirez, RESCHOOL’s Senior Director of Ecosystems and Community Partnerships, identified this gap in 2022, recognizing that families wanted the flexibility to visit institutions on their own terms and schedules. While cultural institutions offer free days and lotteries, Pick-a-Pass gives families the freedom to decide when and how often they visit, with full support in navigating the experience. The program also assists with Spanish access and technological navigation, especially as COVID-19 made accessing passes online more complex for some families.

According to Paola, “Families value collective learning experiences. Pick-a-Passes allow them to keep learning based on their interests, at their own pace, by choosing their pass and visiting as many times as they’d like. Learning is a vibrant process that inspires growth for the whole family.”

What Children Gain

Children using Pick-a-Pass are not just getting tickets to a day of fun. They are gaining access to a world of curiosity and discovery. Each visit to a museum or park offers new questions to explore, new facts to learn, and new interests to pursue. For children, these experiences provide the freedom to learn by doing, alongside their families.

By visiting frequently, families also unlock additional benefits that go beyond admission, such as information about summer camps, special workshops, and events hosted by the institutions. This creates an ongoing cycle of engagement, where children are constantly introduced to new ways of learning.

Why Pick-a-Pass Matters

We believe that learning happens everywhere — and that all families, no matter their background or financial situation, deserve access to rich educational experiences. By providing memberships to places like the Denver Zoo, Denver Botanic Gardens, and Colorado State Parks, Pick-a-Pass gives families the flexibility to choose when, where, and how often they visit these cultural institutions.

One family shared their experience, saying, “I chose this membership because it gave us the opportunity to be outdoors with my family, enjoy the beautiful Colorado weather, and a way for the children to see and learn about all of the animals. I am very grateful for this membership.”

The program also demystifies the process of getting into cultural institutions that aren’t typically free. It provides an entry point to additional opportunities, such as summer camps, event access, and community engagement through frequent visits. This program is designed to shift what representation at cultural institutions looks like, ensuring that low-income and BIPOC families feel welcome in these spaces. Cultural institutions benefit from having a more diverse population participating in their exhibits, camps, and other learning opportunities, and Pick-a-Pass helps drive this change.

Since its inception:

• 99 families and 229 children have benefited from Pick-a-Pass, with an average cost of $200 per family.
• Participating cultural institutions include the Denver Zoo, Butterfly Pavilion, Children’s Museum of Denver, Denver Botanic Gardens, Museo de las Americas, Denver Museum of Nature and Science, Colorado Parks and Wildlife, and Meow Wolf.

Moreover, being a member of these cultural institutions unlocks additional benefits, such as priority access to camps, special events, and discounts, further enriching the learning experience. This continuity of access ensures that families can visit multiple times, deepening their connection to these spaces and what they have to offer. You can support this meaningful access by donating $200 to help a family visit a cultural institution of their choice in the Denver metro area or to help extend learning for a family through the Pick-a-Pass Program. Donate here.

At RESCHOOL, we believe in ensuring young people have access to learning everywhere to transform lives and communities. That’s why we are excited to introduce our new Equitable Ecosystems of Learning Online Modules — a dynamic resource designed to help educators, policymakers, and organizations create more inclusive and equitable learning environments.

Our first module, Learning Dollars for Youth: What They Are, How to Design and Implement Them, and Their Impact, is a deep dive into the pivotal role Learning Dollars Programs play in empowering young people. These programs provide the financial support that allows students to explore their passions and access opportunities tailored to their unique needs and interests. By equitably distributing resources, we can help ensure every young person has the chance to thrive, regardless of their background.

This module not only offers actionable insights on designing and implementing these programs but also shares inspiring stories from families who have benefited from Learning Dollars. For instance, one young filmmaker in Denver discovered her passion and gained the skills she needed to continue her learning at the Denver School of the Arts. Another family connected their sons with enriching activities that ignited a love for learning and inspired their mother to become a community advocate, helping others navigate similar opportunities.

These stories remind us of the incredible impact we can have when we work together to build equitable learning ecosystems. At RESCHOOL, we’ve spent over a decade refining our approach, and now, we’re eager to share what we’ve learned with you through this online training series.

Join us in making education more equitable and accessible for all. Let’s continue to innovate, collaborate, and create learning environments where every student can succeed. Information on how to purchase and access the module can be found here.