Tennyson Center for Children: Celebrating 116 Years

John W. Warren and Mary V. (Long) Warren, members of First Christian Church in Loveland, Colorado, were dedicated schoolteachers who witnessed many of their students going through painful experiences in their young lives. Their passion for helping Colorado children in need eventually led to the creation of our organization: Tennyson Center for Children.

Tennyson Center for Children’s first building broke ground in 1904 – the McMillan Building was an eight-room, pressed brick, “perfectly modern” home in Loveland.

From organization of the board in 1904 through the dedication of the McMillan Building, members initially named the enterprise “Colorado Christian Home.” On March 9, 1907, just three years after our organization’s inception, Colorado Christian Home moved to Denver, Colorado – now its current home as Tennyson Center for Children.

Today, we provide a safe, stable home for kids 5-18 who are facing critical circumstances and need residential care; an accredited, therapeutic K-12 school with a 3:1 student-to-staff ratio on our campus; and in-home and community services in 15 counties across the state to provide preventive services and therapy to strengthen families with children aged 0 to adulthood. In 2019, we began leading a collaborative statewide initiative called Rewiring, which seeks to ensure that families remain safely together and eventually reduce the number of children and families involved with the child welfare system.

To honor our history and continued success, we are celebrating our children and families on September 7, 2020 through our newly founded “Tennyson Giving Day”. Tennyson Giving Day is a virtual day of giving encouraging Coloradans and beyond to support Tennyson’s mission and ever-expanding work through generous donations and the sharing of their stories connected to Tennyson.

September 7, 1996 is the day that our current building was dedicated as the Robert L. and Betty A. Manning Family Therapy Center. While our work extends far, far beyond the walls of our small campus, this date signifies a putting down of roots in Colorado’s capital.

Much has changed over the years, but we have always been guided by doing what is best for kids and families.

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