10-27-2025 10:40am

Inside Irvine's

The Nature Preschool offers children ages 3 to 5 a supportive learning environment that encourages discovery, experimentation, and connection through play in and with nature.

The beauty of being in the Nature Preschool is that you never know where the "classroom" will be each day . Whether it's under the autumnal trees or investigating in the Exhibit Hall, our kiddos have the unique opportunity of learning in an everchanging "classroom". Sound like an environment that your inquisitive little one could benefit from?\Learn more and schedule a tour for The Nature Preschool by visiting https://www.explorenature.org/.../the-nature-preschool/Tuition assistance is available.

CONSIDERING THE NATURE PRESCHOOL FOR SCHOOL YEAR 2025/26? A limited number of full-day spots remain. Tours are available by appointment only over the summer. Email Katie Rooney, Director of Early Childhood Education, to schedule. For future enrollment, monthly tours will resume in the fall. Click the yellow button below to reserve a tour.

OUR PHILOSOPHY & ENVIRONMENT

Childhood should be joyful and wholesome. We believe that the earliest, most memorable kind of learning includes climbing trees, catching frogs, and making mud pies. We believe that empathy, love, curiosity, and respect are the truest foundation of learning. When thoughtful nature-based curriculum is combined with direct experiences in nature, a transformative change takes place. This connection is both powerful and empowering. We believe it is every child’s right, as an integral part of the natural community, to develop a foundation of academic skills through encounters in the natural world.

Our licensed and accredited program takes place outdoors on Irvine’s 211-acre property and in our Montessori and Reggio-inspired classrooms. Our early childhood educators create an open-ended curriculum, following their students’ interests. We entrust and empower our students to discover and investigate what they need most. Teachers are facilitators: providing materials, expanding on ideas and connection, and ensuring safety.

The Nature Preschool is designed to help your child develop cognitive and problem-solving skills while cultivating social skills and building their confidence through nature play and exploration.

We embrace risky play, teaching children to assess risk while listening to their body and inner voice. We celebrate Nature in all its beauty and weather, and our place in it. We are outside for 75-90% of the day.

THE NATURE PRESCHOOL MIGHT BE RIGHT FOR YOUR FAMILY IF…

You celebrate play and relationship as the main form of early learning.
You believe kids should be loud and messy at least a good chunk of the time.
You love being outside.
You want your child to grow to respect and value all living things.
You see childhood as a unique period of life- not just time to prepare for the next thing or school.
You celebrate diversity in all its forms and value community.
Your child is 3-5 years old and potty trained.*

We strive to create a community of families and staff with diverse backgrounds and abilities. Always a work in progress, we regularly reflect and work towards growth and improvement when necessary.
*If your child has particular needs that help them thrive, please reach out to us and we can explore how we can support you further.

ENROLLMENT and class scheduleS for 2025-26

We know every family is unique, and each has its own schedules and needs. As a result, The Nature Preschool has both full-day and half-day classes with Before and AfterCare available.

The Nature Preschool is fully enrolled for the current school year. Enrollment for 2025-26 is underway and spaces are nearly full. Applications for 2026-27 are also being accepted. Priority is given to returning students and their siblings. Learn more about our enrollment policies here.