By Director
of Education
Kelli Kennon-Lane
When we announced the opening of our new nature-based preschool, Creekside Forest School, to the public back on January 11th we knew the model would be exciting and interesting for families looking for an alternative to early childhood education.
We did not anticipate, however, the overwhelmingly positive response from families, educators, and community members alike. Immediately our inboxes were flooding with inquiries, applications for enrollment grew into triple digits, and we were speaking with individuals about supporting Creekside Forest School in ways other than enrollment.
We are energized by the response and have scheduled several open houses in February, March, and April. The purpose of these open houses is to inform families about the nature-based preschool model, our mission and values at Creekside Forest School, and about our operations and logistics. We will review a typical day-in-the-life of a nature-based preschooler. We will discuss tuition, what your child should wear, snacks and our scholarship program for children from BIPOC and LGBTQ+ families, who often face greater barriers to opportunities like these. Common questions about before and after care, transportation, and classroom volunteering will be addressed. This is a place to ask questions to determine if Creekside Forest School is the right fit for your child.
The Creekside Forest School open houses are also a great place for pre-service teachers (elementary and early childhood education majors) to learn more about this alternative preschool option. Current educators might be interested in seeing how our classroom differs from a traditional classroom. Community members interested in supporting Creekside Forest School might find the open houses informative, helping them find an opportunity to volunteer or donate to our program. The open houses – especially the virtual offerings in February and March – are open to anyone interested in learning more about our nature-based preschool.
The February 16th open houses will be virtual via Zoom at 1pm and 5pm. Both will last about 1 hour, with about half of that time being a presentation on Creekside Forest School and the rest time for questions and conversation. Spring open houses will be on March 16th at 1pm and 5pm, also virtually via Zoom. The last open houses will be on April 20th at 1pm and 5pm, hopefully in person at Amazing Space.
To sign up to attend any of the open houses, go to this link.
We are accepting applications for enrollment for the 2021, 2022, or 2023 school years. School begins in September. As we reach capacity we will maintain a waitlist that is timestamped based on the date of your application. Remember, there are no strings attached to your application to Creekside Forest School. It serves as your place in line when you are ready to enroll. We’ll discuss all of this, and more at the open houses.
If you are seeking a more private conversation or tour, we can accommodate that! Contact us to book a Zoom call, phone call, or in-person tour.
