Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion

Natural Start Member, Honeypot Montessori, is a nature- and place-based urban preschool in the Greater Newark Area that provides joyful outdoor learning opportunities for Black and Brown children.

Get to know Natural Start member, Community Connections for Children, a non-profit in Pennsylvania providing free nature play training to early childhood educators.

Get to know White Pine Programs, a nonprofit organization in Maine that connects children and adults to nature, beginning at age 4.

Notchcliff Forest Preschool and Forest Kinder Co-op are nature programs offered by the Eastern Region of Forest and Nature Schools (ERAFANS) that, like most other nature-based programs, have adapted to serve families and children during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Imua Inclusion Preschool is a place-based preschool on the Hawaiian Island of Maui, where every child’s social, emotional, physical, and educational needs are met through individualized instruction.

Takoma Park Cooperative Nursery School in Maryland, like many schools, is on a journey to create a more just, equitable learning community for their students and families. Hear from the school's director, Lesley Romanoff, to learn more about Takoma Park's story.

Aventuras Forest School is a 100% outdoors, Spanish-language immersion forest school set primarily in public parks in Los Angeles. Learn more about the program from the school’s founder, Pilar Gonzalez.

Diona Reese Williams is an Early Childhood Education Professor at a tribal college in Arizona, an active member of the Arizona Association for Environmental Education (AAEE), the owner and founder of Out Back Learning LLC, and the creator of the podcast, Black in Nature. In our July Member Spotlight, we learn more about Diona, her home-based nature preschool, and her goals for early childhood education in Arizona.