DENVER -- A march in support of immigration will take place in downtown Denver Monday, just one of dozens planned around the nation.

The "We Are America" parade route will begin at Viking Park and end at Civic Center Park.

It's expected to draw up to 50,000 participants, potentially affecting area schools and businesses.

One local school has already announced it will be closed on Monday.

The Family Star Montessori and Early Head Start Center on Federal Boulevard serves 140 children and their families. More than half of the school's staff are Latinos or immigrants.

Over the past few weeks, most have told their boss they would be marching on Monday.

"And because we're a licensed child-care center, when we have so many of our qualified teachers and assistants not at work, we are forced to close," said Honey Niehaus, Family Star's executive director.

"I'm taking part to support my family, my friends. Half of my family are illegal immigrants," said Francheska Almdada, a teaching assistant at the school.

"Whether they be the faith community, workers, families, we expect a really diverse and really beautiful march," said Julie Gonzales, of the Front Range Economics Strategy Center.

Even a grandmother employed at the school will be walking away from work Monday.

"And when I realized that grandmothers are supporting it, I thought, 'Oh my goodness, Denver's going to learn a big lesson on Monday about how important our Latinos and our immigrants are in our community,'" said Niehaus.

It's not clear how big of an impact this protest will have on the city, but officials are planning for heavy traffic and alerting the public through messages on overhead traffic signs downtown.

Area businesses are also making preparations for potentially being short-staffed due to employees attending the parade.