Broomfield, Colorado

School-Based ABA Therapy in Broomfield for Better School Days

Budding Futures ABA brings a trained therapist into the school day of a child with autism in Broomfield, from preschool through high school, when the school approves an outside provider.

Evidence-based 1:1 support for classroom routines, communication, transitions and independence, coordinated with your child's school when it approves outside-provider access.

  • Medicaid accepted
  • Major insurance plans
  • BCBA-led
  • No current assessment waitlist
Top-rated ABA therapy provider: 5.0 (17 Reviews) Read Google reviews

Is the school day the hardest part of your child's day?

A hard school day does not always mean your child cannot do the work. Sometimes the routines, transitions or communication demands are the problem.

School-based ABA in Broomfield works on those exact moments, in the building where they happen. Here is where the day tends to break down for a child with autism, and how ABA therapy can help your child at each point.

An adult sits beside a boy using a tablet at a classroom table
  1. Drop-off

    Crying at the classroom door most mornings.

    What we work onA predictable arrival routine and a calm way to say goodbye.

  2. Morning work

    Refusing tasks, or pushing work off the desk.

    What we work onSmaller chunks of work, and asking for help or a break with words or a card.

  3. Transitions

    Melting down when it is time to stop and move on.

    What we work onAdvance warnings, a visual schedule and lots of practice with transitions.

  4. Group time

    Leaving the rug or the table during group lessons.

    What we work onSitting with the group, waiting a turn and following a teacher's direction.

  5. Lunch and recess

    Trouble joining games, or unsafe choices outside.

    What we work onPeer play, social interaction and staying safe in open spaces.

  6. Pickup

    Holding it together until the bell, then a big meltdown at home.

    What we work onCalming strategies after dismissal, and notes that connect school and home.

We start with the hardest moment of the day, because that is where your child needs the most support and where a small change shows up fastest.

School-based ABA therapy services for children in Broomfield

Budding Futures ABA provides the full range of school-focused applied behavior analysis, from an RBT beside your child in class to behavior plans a teacher can run during a lesson. Every plan is individualized and evidence-based, and Rachel Blackburn, BCBA, our Clinical Director, oversees it.

Inside the school day

  • 1:1 support in the classroomA Registered Behavior Technician (RBT) works beside a child with autism spectrum disorder (ASD), with a Board Certified Behavior Analyst overseeing the plan.
  • Functional behavior assessmentsWe study challenging behaviors where they happen to learn what sets them off.
  • Behavior intervention plansSteps a teacher can use mid-lesson, with positive reinforcement, to build positive behaviors.
  • Teacher and aide coachingStrategies for the teachers and school staff who spend the day with your child. School collaboration.
  • IEP collaborationTherapy goals lined up with the IEP or 504 plan. Autism IEPs in Colorado.
  • Social skills at recess and lunchJoining games, social interaction and the least structured parts of the day.

Before and after the bell

  • School readinessCircle time, lining up, toileting and other daily living skills before kindergarten, so your child can build confidence. Preschool autism therapy.
  • Transition supportA new school, a new grade, or home ABA to school. Moving to school.
  • After-school ABAHomework, regulation, life skills and the evening routine. After-school ABA.
  • Parent and caregiver trainingSo what works in class keeps working at home. Parent training.

School support is one part of helping children with autism in Broomfield. The same BCBA-led team provides in-home ABA therapy in Broomfield and runs school-based ABA across Colorado.

An adult and a boy work side by side on a writing task at a classroom desk

What applied behavior analysis looks like in a classroom

In-school ABA follows your child's schedule, not a therapy room's. The RBT learns the routine first, then builds new skills into it so your child learns them in the moment: a card to request a break, a timer before a transition.

Data from therapy sessions goes to the BCBA, who changes the treatment plan when progress stalls. Plans rest on a VB-MAPP or ABLLS-R assessment of your child's strengths and needs. Center-based ABA therapy pulls a child out of school; school-based ABA works inside it.

We individualize every child's treatment plan and personalize the goals to the school day. Our board certified behavior analysts (BCBAs) aim to supervise about 20% of the hours our ABA therapists, all registered behavior technicians, spend in therapy sessions, roughly four times the BACB minimum, and a BCBA clinician reviews the data every week. See ABA for school-age children for how goals change from elementary school to the teen years.

“My 5yo son is level 3 and has an RBT with him daily. It brings my SO and I peace of mind knowing we have staff of our own in there that WE can trust.”

a parent on r/Autism_Parenting, September 2026 (source)
Local Schools

How school-based ABA therapy works across Broomfield school districts

Broomfield is served by more than one school district, mainly Adams 12 Five Star Schools and Boulder Valley School District, with Jeffco and others at the edges (City of Broomfield).

Adams 12 runs Structured Learning Services for students with autism-related needs, and BVSD offers autism programming from self-contained classrooms to full inclusion. Each district has its own process for outside providers.

Adams 12 publishes that process as Policy 5470, Medically Necessary Treatment in School (Adams 12).

Outside ABA requests, as Chalkbeat Colorado reported in October 2024
DistrictWhat happened
Denver Public SchoolsApproved 3 of 28 in 2023-24
Aurora Public SchoolsApproved half over three years
Jeffco Public SchoolsApproved all in 2023-24
Douglas County School DistrictApproved all in 2023-24
Cherry Creek School DistrictApproved all in 2023-24

Highlighted: the district Broomfield families are most likely to deal with. Source: Chalkbeat Colorado.

What Budding Futures does

With your permission, we contact the school, share the BCBA's recommendation and follow the district's steps for outside providers. If the answer is not yet, the school goals keep moving through teacher consultation where allowed, after-school and in-home sessions, and parent coaching.

Colorado requires every school district to post a policy on how outside providers observe, collaborate and treat students at school (HB22-1260). No Colorado law guarantees a yes, so each request is decided one student at a time.

How to start ABA therapy at school in Broomfield

  1. Tell us about the school dayCall or send the form with your child's age, school and what the day looks like.
  2. We check coverageWe verify your Medicaid or insurance benefits for free.
  3. A BCBA assesses your childThe assessment shapes a therapy plan around your child's unique needs at school and home.
  4. We reach out to the schoolWe follow its outside-provider process, and your child can begin ABA therapy at school once it approves.
Cost & Insurance

Does Medicaid cover school-based ABA in Broomfield County?

Yes, when ABA is medically necessary and authorized. Since May 3, 2024, Health First Colorado has listed school as an allowed place of service for pediatric behavioral therapy, provided the ABA provider follows district policy (HCPF billing manual). Most families on the plan pay $0.

Families on Health First Colorado in Broomfield County are served by Colorado Community Health Alliance (CCHA), the Regional Accountable Entity for Region 3, and we work inside that system every week.

Colorado's autism insurance law, SB 09-244, requires many insurance plans to cover ABA therapy for children diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder as part of autism treatment, and commercial plans usually land between $0 and $500 out of pocket. Health First Colorado looks at medical necessity instead of requiring an autism diagnosis. Budding Futures is enrolled under Provider Types 83 and 84 and works with the plans below.

Colorado Medicaid Kaiser Aetna Cigna UnitedHealthcare Anthem BCBS TRICARE

Not sure your plan covers therapy for autism at school? We verify your exact benefits for free before starting ABA therapy, file the prior authorization and never balance-bill. Read our Colorado Medicaid ABA guide for the authorization steps.

What families tell us

5.0 rating from 17 reviews

"Mark and the team at Budding Futures are truly the type of team I want to work with my child. Compassionate, driven, and they strive for excellence."

David Brody, verified Google review

"This is a company that truly supports their clients, clients' families, and staff members in a way I've never seen."

KyRa Lee, verified Google review

"Budding Futures ABA gives amazing in-home ABA therapy in Colorado. Would definitely recommend for anyone with children with autism."

Mindee Meyer, verified Google review
Questions about school ABA

Frequently asked questions about school-based ABA in Broomfield

What if my child's school does not allow an outside ABA provider?
It happens, and the plan keeps moving. No outside provider can make a Colorado school accept an RBT in the classroom. We keep asking, and meanwhile the same school goals continue through BCBA consultation where the school allows it, after-school and in-home sessions, and parent coaching.
Can an ABA therapist work inside my child's school in Broomfield?
Yes, when the school approves an outside provider and the service is authorized. A Registered Behavior Technician, the therapist, can work with your child during the school day while a BCBA oversees the plan. Budding Futures handles the outreach, and your school district makes the final call on building access.
How does school-based ABA work with an IEP?
An IEP is the school's special education plan and ABA is medical therapy, so neither replaces the other. With your permission, our BCBA shares data with the IEP team, lines up therapy goals with IEP goals and helps you prepare questions for the meeting.
Do you offer after-school ABA in Broomfield?
Yes. For many families the hardest hours start at dismissal: homework, regulation and the evening routine. After-school sessions work on those hours and carry the same goals as the school plan.
Does my child need an autism diagnosis for school-based ABA?
With Health First Colorado, not always: the state asks for medical necessity rather than a diagnosis for behavioral therapy. Most commercial insurance plans want a diagnosis first. School eligibility for an IEP is a separate decision. Our Colorado evaluation guide explains where autism evaluations happen.
Does Medicaid cover ABA during school hours?
It can. Since May 3, 2024, Health First Colorado has allowed pediatric behavioral therapy in a school setting, as long as the provider follows the school district's policy. The therapy still has to be medically necessary and authorized, and most families on the plan pay $0.
Do you serve schools and homes in McKay Lake?
Yes. We work with families in Broomfield, McKay Lake included, and in nearby Boulder, Westminster and Thornton. We serve families in every Colorado city, so call even if your child's school sits just outside town.
Broomfield Families

Contact us about school support in Broomfield

1. Call (720) 613-8837 or send the short form.
2. We verify your Medicaid or insurance benefits, free.
3. A BCBA assesses your child, and we reach out to the school.

Tell us the school and grade. We will explain in-school options, check your coverage and reach out to the school when in-school support is the right call.

(720) 613-8837 info@buddingfuturesaba.com
7900 E Union Ave, Suite 1100, Denver, CO 80237
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Looking for more local help? See our guide to autism resources in Broomfield and how autism IEPs work in Colorado.

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