Member Spotlight

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.

At Camp STEM Club in Gilbert, AZ, small groups of children learn in a desert oasis all while practicing coping skills, exploring STEM concepts, and having fun. Learn more about the program in a Q&A with director Carolyn Mowery.

Mid-Columbia Children’s Council Tygh Valley site moved entirely outdoors in 2020. We spoke with the COO to learn how they continue to meet licensing requirements and Head Start learning domains in the fully outdoor classroom.

Durham Community Preschool transitioned to a 100% outdoor model this year as a solution to continue in-person learning during the pandemic. The lessons they learned will stick with them well beyond this school year.

Learn how the University of Delaware Lab School, which added a nature preschool program in 2017, supports the growth and development of University students while serving children, families, and their community.

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.

Learn how Bend Forest School, a nature immersion early childhood program on 200 acres in Oregon, places emotional literacy at the center of its practices.

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.

Educating Children Outdoors (ECO) is a nature immersion program developed by the North Branch Nature Center and designed for students in preschool up to 6th grade. Founded in 2009, the program has impacted more than a dozen public schools, over 100 educators, and many more students. In our May Member Spotlight, Amy Butler shares how ECO has evolved over the last 10 years.

Dawn Jenkins founded Eyes of the World Nature Immersion in January 2019. Among her program offerings is a roaming forest preschool that meets in various state parks and land trusts in York County, Maine. Dawn was able to secure a unique insurance policy that may interest other forest preschool programs.