We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Keely Buchanan. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Keely below.

Alright, Keely thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. What’s the backstory behind how you came up with the idea for your business?

When my oldest son was 2 years old and I began researching public and private Preschool options, I was exceptionally overwhelmed. Our first private Preschool was not the right fit, and we transferred to a second private Preschool (The Martin School in Wash Park). There, we found a wonderfully supportive environment for my early reader who also refused to nap.

A year later, I started researching what comes next: Kindergarten. And, as I navigated that search, I realized that there were no resources for families like mine: new to a district with no context. I didn’t know what I didn’t know, and I was spending way too much time calling, emailing, and searching without fully understanding my options, deadlines, and best practices. I could not find one place that had all the information that I needed. I started by partnering with the owner of The Martin School Preschool, as Preschools end up getting many Kindergarten questions as their families start their search.

When I see a gap, I like to fill it – and I was becoming a resource for my friends and the other parents at my sons’ Preschool. I decided to be the one to help others through this process, and started with parent classes for those interested in learning more about Denver Public Schools’ (DPS) public Preschool (ECE3 & ECE4) and Kindergarten/Elementary School options.

Then, shortly after starting parenting classes, I expanded my business to offer comprehensive private consultations to parents in and around Denver: DPS, Englewood, Littleton, Jefferson County (Jeffco), Douglas County, Aurora, Adams 12, Mapleton, and Boulder (Boulder Valley and St Vrain).

As I continued to teach classes and work with parents, I realized I had found my passion, and that I wanted to help more parents – and as my own kiddos got older, I expanded to support families navigating the search for Middle School and High School. Along the way, I earned a reputation for GT/HGT, Special Education/Disability/Learning Differences, and Twice Exceptional (2e) support, in partnership with Duguay [Special] Educational Consulting & Advocacy.

I was also able to secure funding from multiple CO nonprofits for families without the privilege to pay privately for my/our services, including those with kiddos with disabilities and learning differences (ReSchool Colorado, Developmental Disabilities Resource Center (DDRC) Family Support Services, Rocky Mountain Human Services (RMHS) Family Support Services, and Developmental Pathways (DP) Family Support Services).

Fast forward six years and I am proud to support hundreds of CO families each year through courses and private consultations, and am tagged daily in Facebook neighborhood and parent groups about public and schools :)

Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers?

Keely Buchanan is the owner of Colorado Educational Consulting and is passionate about connecting parents with resources and data about public and private Preschool, Kindergarten, Elementary, Middle, and High School.

Her two chidlren (ages 10 and 12 – 5th & 7th grade) have attended public and private schools in Denver, and are both Twice Exceptional (2e), with Individual Education Plans (IEPs) and Advanced Learning Plans (ALPs).

Her professional background is in Internal Communications, Training, Learning & Development, and Employee Experience and Engagement.

An alumnus of the University of Denver (DU), Keely earned her BA in Digital Media Studies, graduating Magna Cum Laude and with Departmental Honors. She is working towards her Master’s Degree (MPS) from her Alma Mater.

Keely resides in Denver with her two sons, tours a LOT of public and private schools, meets with a LOT of school and community leaders, and volunteers for the Women in Cable Telecommunications (WICT) Rocky Mountain Chapter.

She also partners with Reschool Colorado, Developmental Disabilities Resource Center (Jefferson, Clear Creek, Gilpin and Summit counties), Rocky Mountain Human Services (Adams, Arapahoe, Denver, Douglas, and Elbert counties), and Developmental Pathways (Littleton, Englewood, Sheridan, Douglas, Cherry Creek, and Aurora).

Her services include: private DPS-specific virtual and in-person group classes scheduled annually Fall-Spring; access to those recordings throughout the year; private consultations for any Colorado school districts/cities for Preschool, Kindergarten/Elementary School, Middle School, and High School; private school application support; tutoring hiring; and she specializes is GT/Sped/2e support and relocation to/moving within Colorado.

What’s worked well for you in terms of a source for new clients?

Facebook and word of mouth are by and large the best source for new family connections. I am proud of the fact that I am tagged in Facebook parent groups about schools daily, and that I take the time to reply to each and every one.

I love it when a client who went to my class to learn about PreK and Kinder follows up when it’s time to discuss Middle school, and can then again reach out about High School – or refers a friend to my class or for a private consultation.

I also partner with local Real Estate Agents and Brokers, who often gift my services to their clients as a pre-home search or closing gift.

And, I partner with Denver area Preschools to offer discounted class seats, and ongoing support.

How’d you meet your business partner?

I am thrilled to partner with Meryl Duguay, Founder of Duguay Educational Consulting & Advocacy, to support families with kiddos with disabilities and/or learning differences who are navigating school search or switch.

As soon as we connected via Zoom in 2020, I knew I had found a like-minded, passionate fellow entrepreneur and I wanted to explore how we might work together to support Colorado parents.

We now collaborate weekly, meeting with families of kiddos with identified and suspected disabilities, learning differences, giftedness, 504 plans, IEPs, ALPs, Medical Plans, Behavioral Plans, and more. I start by mapping out public and private school options for the family based upon short and long-term educational goals, testing and documentation, budget, commute preferences, all data available at the district and state level, and other family and kiddo specifics. Meryl then reviews the lists to ensure that it aligns with her experiences. Once we have established the where, Meryl provides advocacy and transition services, both for the current and/or future school(s), to ensure that kiddos and families are supported, and that schools are held accountable.

I love that we can provide multi-faceted and comprehensive support for Colorado families, from start (now) to finish (best fit).

Contact Info:

• Website: www.coeducationalconsulting.com
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ColoradoEducationalConsulting
• Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/colorado-educational-consulting-denver

Image Credits
T5 Photography