Bright Ideas
Webinar: Equitable Enrollment: Strategies to Boost Equity and Diversity
In 2022, Natural Start conducted a National Survey of Nature Preschools in the United States. The data reflected exciting, sustained growth in the number of nature preschools and, therefore, the number of children enrolled in these programs. It did not, unfortunately, reflect a significant change in the racial demographics of children attending nature preschools since the last time we surveyed the field in 2017. Black and Latino children are under-represented in programs, and children who are White are over-represented, with very little change from 2017 to 2022. As nature-based education continues to grow, we’re focusing on how programs are, or are not, meeting the expectations and needs of BIPOC families.
Natural Start reached out to members to learn how nature preschools are prioritizing equity and diversity through their enrollment process. We heard back from programs employing a variety of strategies for attracting and enrolling racially and economically diverse families, including administrative policies, marketing and outreach, community partnerships, accessing state pre-K funding, and more.
In this webinar recording, hear from representatives of Boston Outdoor Preschool Network (Boston), Fiddleheads Forest School (Seattle), and Frazer Center Child Development Program (Atlanta).
This webinar was live on December 5, 2023.
Below we've shared a recording of the one-hour webinar as well as PDF slides from Maddie Cole's presentation and Paige McKay Kubik's presentation.
Download Maddie's slides
Download Paige's slides
Meet the Presenters
Sarah is passionate about developing innovative early education opportunities that engage the whole child and that foster joy and creativity. To achieve this goal, she draws on experiences that have taught her to value a deep connection to nature as essential for the well-being of individuals, communities, and our planet. Sarah's work at BOPN is also driven by research showing the benefits of extended time in nature for young children: deep appreciation for our environment; better agility, balance, and coordination; more imaginative forms of play; stress reduction; and improvements in confidence, social skills, language, motivation, concentration, resiliency, and critical thinking. Previously, she taught at a Montessori preschool and reimagined the boat-building program at a Boston public school. Moving forward, Sarah is excited to start new programs and to partner with public schools to make nature-based early ed accessible to more children. Sarah has Montessori certification, a Masters of Science in Early Childhood Education from Wheelock College, and a B.A. in history from Carleton College.
Maddie has been the Head of Fiddleheads Forest School in Seattle, WA since 2021. Through Portland State University, she earned a Master of Science degree in Education: Curriculum and Instruction: Early Childhood Inclusive Education with a focus in Constructivism. Her career has included education roles in a children’s museum, a zoo, a farm-based preschool, and two other nature-based preschools. Maddie is strongly committed to nurturing a connection between children and the natural world, as well as building communities around place-based educational programs.
Paige McKay Kubik joined Frazer Center in January 2014 as Chief Executive Officer. Frazer Center is a 74-year-old Atlanta nonprofit that fosters inclusive communities where children and adults, with and without disabilities, gather, learn, and flourish. Serving almost 300 children and adults each day, the inclusive early education program for children and the vocational and community inclusion programs for adults are nestled inside a 39-acre old growth forest that serves as public greenspace and an outdoor classroom for Frazer Center program participants.
Ms. Kubik has more than 30 years of experience working with Atlanta nonprofits in the areas of early education, disability, and homelessness. Before joining Frazer Center, Ms. Kubik served for twelve years as Vice President of Development & Communication at Sheltering Arms Early Education & Family Centers. She has also been a leader in resource development, marketing and communications, strategic partnerships, and board governance at the Adaptive Learning Center and United Way of Greater Atlanta. For six years she served as Executive Director of Our House, an organization she led to become the nation’s first program for children experiencing homelessness to be accredited by the National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC).
Ms. Kubik holds a Bachelor’s degree in Communication from Florida State University, and a Master’s in Public Administration and Urban Affairs from Georgia State University. She is past president of the Rotary of Atlanta West End, a Returned Peace Corps Volunteer, and a leader of Atlanta’s wildest street band, the Seed & Feed Marching Abominable.
