By: Ashley Arax
A new, nature-based option for parents interested in a non-traditional approach to the kindergarten experience is open and enrolling for the 2024-25 school year.
Davis Forest School, celebrated in our community for its thoughtful approach to nature-based education for children and caregivers, now has a brand-new early childhood education program.
Little Coyotes Forest Kinder aims to nurture the naturalist inside every child and create a gentle transition for children taking their first steps outside the comfort of home.
Founder and Program Director Candice Wang said she was inspired to create an experience she wished was available to her growing up. Davis Forest School is rooted in a belief that time outdoors and in nature provides many benefits, especially during early childhood.
“Nature-based learning is critical in the development of a young child, impacting everything from motor skills and academic performance to their social-emotional and holistic development,” Wang told The Dirt. “Nature immersion during this age plays a significant role in a child’s healthy development, and children learn so much being out in nature throughout all the seasons.”
The Forest Kinder program is dubbed “land-based”, meaning cohorts will meet outdoors year-round—rain or shine.
Wang said the curriculum emphasizes play-based and hands-on activities like climbing, water play, building, nature art, and scavenger hunts. Activities will adapt to the changing seasons: fall is for mushroom hunting, winter is for shelter building, and spring is for edible plant foraging.
The program is for children ages 4—6, with 3-year-olds considered on a case-by-case basis.
The school year is scheduled from September 4, 2024 to June 12, 2025 in both Davis (South Fork Preserve) and Sacramento (William B. Pond area) locations.
Participation options include 5, 3, or 2-day weekly schedules; each location can enroll ten students.
