About Us

Our History
Family Star was founded in 1988 by a passionate group of inner-city Denver parents and educators determined to stop the decline of their community and provide their young children with a healthy future.  Together, they closed down a crack house across the street from the local elementary school.  Neighborhood residents were recruited to become teachers and trained at the rigorous Montessori Institute.  This building, reclaimed and renovated was named "Family Star" and opened its doors in 1991 with classrooms for infants and toddlers.  The program was so successful that Family Star received one of the first Early Head Start grants in the nation, allowing us to open our second site on Federal Blvd. in 1997.
 
Today, we provide a year-round bilingual Montessori education to children 8 weeks to 6 years old.  We have the ability to accommodate 140 children at any given time at our two Denver locations.
 
Who We Are
Family Star is governed by a Board of Directors, a dedicated group of volunteers who oversee our mission, policies and ensure financial solvency.   We employ approximately 60 staff members at our two locations.
 
Management Staff
Ginny Trierweiler, Ph.D., President & CEO
Lionel Espinoza, Early Head Start Director
Richard Stevens, Finance Director
Jennifer Hinderliter, Development Director
Deborah Silvis, Education Director
Maria Herrera, Human Resource Manager
Gerri Stirlacci, LCSW, Mental Health & Disabilities Coordinator
Patsy Bruce, Resource/Community Partnerships Manager
Maggie Peters, Health & Nutrition Coordinator
Annelise Nugent, NW Education Supervisor
Stephanie Van Fleet, NE Education Supervisor
 
To contact us, please call (303) 477-7827 or email info2@familystar.net
 
Job Opportunities
Lead Teacher - Infant Community (View full description)
Assisting Teacher (View full description)
Parent Educator (View full description)

When applying for a position, please submit either a completed employment application or a resume and cover letter.  Download our Employment Application.

Financial Information
Download our 2008 Form 990
Download our 2008 Audited Financial Statements

Annual Reports
Download our 2008 Annual Report
Download our 2007 Annual Report