The Nature Preschool

Welcome to The Nature Preschool at GSES, where childhood is spent outdoors—playing, exploring, and learning in all seasons. Our program is designed for families who value whole-child development, a strong connection to nature, and a child-led approach to early education. Here, children build confidence, curiosity, and compassion while splashing in creeks, climbing logs, and discovering the world around them. If you believe learning should be joyful, hands-on, and grounded in nature, you've found the right place.

Learn more about The Nature Preschool

What is a Nature-Based Preschool?

Our Nature Preschool is a nature-based program with a goal of fostering a connection between children and their local environment, which will grow into a lifelong stewardship of nature. We are outside every day, regardless of the weather, throughout the entire school year. We operate by the Norwegian saying "Det finnes ikke dårlig vær, bare dårlig klær!" which translates to "There is no bad weather, only bad clothes!" Our program offers constant contact with nature – rather than one-off or infrequent visits – creating an alternative learning process to traditional classrooms. Our morning is a combination of child-led learning and provocations inspired by seasonal observations, which we use to build a relationship between the children and nature, as well as promote holistic development to foster self-esteem, confidence, independence, and creativity. Children get messy at The Nature Preschool—stomping in mud, rolling down grassy hills, splashing in creeks—and parents must be fully on board for this messy and fully engaged way of learning.

Why Nature Preschool?

In general, preschool is designed to enhance children's language and social skills while developing crucial cognitive, physical, and emotional skills. Preschool promotes interactions with peers and teachers to develop these skills (which are essential for autonomy and school readiness), as well as encourages children to explore their surrounding environment. When the preschool environment is situated in a natural space, the children's interactions with nature will be immersive, creating a deep connection and bond with the Natural World. Furthermore, the wide variety of our outdoor explorations provides numerous organic opportunities for language acquisition and development, as well as math concepts, critical thinking, and problem-solving, establishing a solid foundation for our students' education beyond preschool.

The younger we are when we are immersed and build a connection, the sooner we come to understand the magic of nature. The younger we have an understanding that everything is connected, the stronger the associations we make as we discover the wide world around us. By promoting, understanding, and emphasizing the importance of nature, young people will develop ways to keep our planet healthy and sustainable.

What is a Child-Led Approach?

Child-led learning is an approach where the school day is primarily driven by the children's interests, needs, and pace. It encourages curiosity and feeds into a child's natural fascination with their surroundings. It does not, however, mean that the day is without structure, leaving the children to frolic without tether. Rather, the teachers closely observe and reflect on the children's observations and play, so that they may support the children in deeper exploration and more meaningful connections. A child-led approach finds at its core the knowledge that all children are:

Equal, unique, and valuable;
Competent to explore & discover;
Entitled to experience appropriate risk and challenge;
Entitled to choose, initiate, and drive their own learning and development;
Entitled to experience regular success;
Entitled to develop positive relationships with themselves and other people; and
Entitled to develop a strong, positive relationship with their natural world.

Program

Our program runs Monday through Friday, 9 a.m. - 12 p.m. Parents may choose either Monday, Wednesday, Friday attendance or Tuesday, Thursday attendance. There is an extended day option (until 2 p.m.) for the Monday, Wednesday, Friday cohort. The Nature Preschool program mirrors the traditional school year and follows the Good Shepherd Episcopal School calendar. Tuition is billed annually for the school year (September through May) or can be broken into even monthly installments.

The Nature Preschool at GSES is exempt from licensure with the Virginia Department of Education, as we hold accreditation with the Virginia Council for Private Education (VCPE) and The Virginia Association of Independent Schools (VAIS). The preschool renews its certified preschool status annually through the Virginia Department of Education. NPS complies with all applicable laws and regulations related to food services, health and sanitation, water supply, building codes, and the Statewide Fire Prevention Code. The Nature Preschool adheres to a maximum capacity of 24 students and maintains a ratio of no more than 12 students to 1 teacher. GSES holds public liability insurance.

From childcare.virginia.gov:

Section 22.1-289.032 of the Code of Virginia allows preschool programs operated by private schools that are accredited by a statewide accrediting organization (or another accrediting organization recognized by the Board of Education) to be exempt from licensure.

The State Board of Education recognizes the accreditation process for private schools administered through the Virginia Council for Private Education (VCPE) Commission on Accreditation. Accrediting organizations that are approved by VCPE administer their own accrediting process for schools in their organizations.

In order for preschool and nursery school programs operated by accredited private schools to be certified, programs must file for exemption before the beginning of the school year or calendar year and annually thereafter. The filing information includes, but is not limited to, verification of accreditation or accreditation candidacy, documentation that the parents or guardians of children in care have received written notification that the preschool is exempt from licensure, documentation that the school requires criminal record clearances on all employees of the preschool, a list of staff qualifications and health and fire inspections reports.

The Virginia Department of Education - Office of Child Care Health and Safety may conduct inspections to monitor the preschool's compliance with Code requirements, investigate complaints of alleged noncompliance with Code requirements, and if a program participates in subsidy, monitor compliance with subsidy health and safety inspection requirements.

May I visit?

Do you want to know more about The Nature Preschool at GSES? Come meet our experienced outdoor early childhood teachers, listen to a program overview, take a look at our nature-inspired indoor classrooms, and ask all of your questions about how a preschool operates outdoors.

Details

When: Saturday, October 25 from 9:00 - 10:00 a.m.
Where: Good Shepherd Episcopal School Playground

Children are welcome to attend and play on our playground during the open house, but please note that the purpose of the open house is to convey information to parents. Children will be in the sole care of their families, and childcare will not be provided.

To register, click here.

History

The Nature Preschool at GSES (formerly Oakwood House) began in 2016 in the backyard of Founder and Former Director Sarah Sinclair. From 2016 to 2020, Ms. Sinclair ran Oakwood House entirely outdoors in her certified backyard wildlife habitat. In 2021, she brought the program over to Good Shepherd, where preschoolers can now explore and learn through nature at Forest Hill Park.

Please note that to enroll, students must meet the Virginia Department of Health's immunization requirements, which can be found here. GSES does not accept Religious Exemptions for vaccination requirements.

Corey Delaney

The Nature Preschool Co-Director

Mallory Lape

The Nature Preschool Co-Director

The Nature Preschool at GSES

The Nature Preschool at GSES is certified by the Eastern Region Association of Forest and Nature Schools (ERAFANS) and is a member of ERAFANS, the Natural Start Alliance, the American Forest Kindergarten Association, the North American Association of Environmental Education, and the National Association for the Education of Young Children.