The Boston Outdoor Preschool Network (BOPN) is a nonprofit organization focused on nature-based early education. This spring, BOPN is celebrating five years of programming! From their first class of twelve children, to the 612 children they have welcomed this year, the organization is grateful to be a part of so many families’ lives.
BOPN serves children ages fifteen months to seven years across six locations: the Arnold Arboretum in Boston, Forbes House Museum and the Eustis Estate in Milton, Pine Banks Park in Malden, Unity Farm Sanctuary in Sherborn, and Wolbach Farm in Sudbury. The organization offers a wide variety of program types including seasonal, weekly toddler-and-caregiver playgroups; half-day and full-day school year preschool classes; and vacation-time programs. Besides nap/rest time for full-day groups, BOPN programs take place 100% outdoors. Most children attend their half-day program, starting the day with three hours in nature–rain or shine–to explore, play, and learn together.
Additionally, BOPN offers tuition-free equity programs including Boston’s first universal nature preschool at the Franklin Park Zoo, and their Forest Days partnership with nearby Boston public schools. These programs bring preschool classes outdoors to discover and learn in nature, and account for eighteen percent of BOPN’s total participants this year–a number that will surely grow as the organization continues their mission to increase access to quality outdoor early childhood education.
Natural Start spoke with BOPN’s executive director, Sarah Besse, to learn more.
Tell us about BOPN's program curriculums. Do all programs adhere to the same approach to teaching and learning?
All BOPN programs follow an emergent curriculum. Teachers build on children’s questions and curiosities, creating age-appropriate learning opportunities that reflect their interests. Mixed-age classes provide opportunities for children to reinforce their knowledge, build confidence, and practice leadership by helping peers advance their own understanding and accomplishment of daily activities.
We focus on promoting children’s physical and mental health, while encouraging environmental stewardship. Through play-based outdoor learning, we help develop habits of curiosity, initiative and persistence, creativity, problem solving, and responsibility.
How did BOPN go about selecting locations for each of its toddler and preschool programs? Are there certain locational criteria you looked for in each site individually, as well as in relation to one another?
BOPN is a nonprofit organization, and our programs are graciously hosted by other nonprofits on their properties. Our site partners represent a wide variety of missions—from conservation and botany, to historic preservation—and they appreciate the importance of our work. Our focus on nature immersion and play-based learning complements our site partners’ broader goals, while bringing a youthful energy to their properties that might otherwise be absent on weekdays.
When seeking locations for new programs, the host site and partner relationship is of utmost importance. While identifying the “right” space and partner, we research local regulations and how they can be applied or adapted to an outdoor school model, and consider necessary changes. Our team simultaneously seeks opportunities to engage with the community to determine need, interest, and fit.
What advice do you gave for other programs that want to expand to multiple locations?
Connect with local parent groups, libraries, and children's activity programs to introduce yourself. As plans are being finalized and opening is assured, host gatherings at your new site for families to visit, meet staff, and connect with each other. When opening, consider keeping groups small as you continue building a relationship with your site partner, and understanding the character of the neighborhood.
Most importantly, don’t force it! For one reason or another–or many–plans may not come to fruition, and that’s okay. Know when to start the search again and be open to learning lessons along the way!
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