Chickadee Forest Preschool

Our Teachers

SCHOOL CLOSING JUNE 2021

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Devon is an educator and counselor with 15+ years of experience working with children and families. She is passionate about sharing the beauty, mystery, and magic of nature with young children. Her teaching style emphasizes creating a calm and caring environment where imagination, connection, and play are cultivated.

Growing up in the East Bay, Devon developed a deep love for the landscape, plants, and animals of the San Francisco Bay Area. As an undergraduate at UC Santa Cruz, she deepened this relationship by studying California botany, ethnobotany, and archaeology. These experiences showed her the value of outdoor and place-based education and inspired her to become an educator.

After earning her Master’s degree in Education from UC Santa Cruz, Devon worked for 10 years as a classroom teacher and school counselor with at-risk youth. Wanting to work more directly with families, she moved to providing in-home behavioral services for children with developmental disabilities and their families.

Devon fell in love with the forest preschool model while working as a teacher with Pathfinders Nature Mentoring in Palo Alto. Working outside with children is a lifelong dream come true. She finds the outdoor classroom to be deeply nourishing and rich with learning opportunities.

Devon is currently completing teacher certification with the Academy of Forest Kindergarten Teachers. She holds a Master of Arts degree in Education and a Master of Science degree in Child and Adolescent Counseling.

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Testimonials

We enrolled in the Chickadee Forest Preschool for the Summer Session of 2020. The Director of any early childhood program is the first indicator of the quality of care and the quality of learning you can expect and will receive. We all wonder how the teachers are with our children when we leave them, especially in a completely outdoor setting! The Director, Devon Quirk is consistently calm, compassionate, patient, and kind with all of the children in her program. She has years of experience working with children and teens and has a very healthy approach to solving conflicts. She consistently gets down on her knees at eye level and works with the children to help them find healthy ways to work through their emotions.

Another healthy component about Devon’s Chickadee Forest School is that she intertwines mindfulness in her program. During circle times, and on their adorable nature adventures, gardening, walks, etc., she has conversations about nature, its sounds, its smells, its and its creatures which really create a deep connection and awareness between the child and nature. Devon offers accurate information about the birds and plants that they stumble upon together on their adventures which is just wonderful! The children play in the leaves, and in the dirt, and help Devon water the garden on the premises. They walk and play in a tree fort, pick plums off plum trees, and walk to ponds and creeks. Really a deep learning experience here. Devon has ample experience with nature and how to be safe in nature, I trust her judgment with my child.

Devon’s small group program creates a lovely sense of community where the children become close friends. Young children starting preschool programs are just starting to get out into a “group” setting. Children are figuring out what their role is in that group, how do they contribute to a group, and get along with others in a group. This is an excellent opportunity for children to learn just that! The relationships that are formed are built on trust and are adorable at Chickadee Forest School.

We have noticed our child (3.5) coming home very confident, happy, self-assured, and his imaginative play has sky-rocketed, which proves to me he is building his creative and critical thinking skills. We would recommend this program to any outdoorsy family looking for a very wholesome, enriching small-group experience.

• Robin Harper

Philosophy

SCHOOL CLOSING JUNE 2021

The mission of Chickadee Forest Preschool is to provide whole-child, play-based education in an entirely natural and wild environment so that each child can develop a sense of self, a sense of belonging, and a life-long connection to nature.

Core elements of a forest school include:

· All-weather nature immersion every day

· Child-led flow learning

· Inquiry-based teaching style

· Place-based education

· Small class sizes

Chickadee Forest Preschool combines the best practices of early childhood education and environmental education. We create an environment that nurtures the whole-child and promotes play-based learning as well as nature connection and awareness. This means that we treat each child as a complex and valued individual with physical, social, emotional, and cognitive developmental needs. During the school day, we take part in familiar activities such as circle time, stories, and songs. We also make time to build with sticks, jump in puddles, and explore trails. Along with developing gross and fine motor skills, problem-solving, and social-emotional skills, nature awareness is woven into our daily experience. We listen to bird songs, feel the wind and sun on our faces, and build special connections to trees, insects, and flowers. The outdoor classroom provides abundant opportunities for play, imagination, personal growth, and connection to nature. Additionally, Chickadee Forest Preschool is committed to fostering a caring and inclusive community where each child can experience a sense of belonging and know that they are valued.

If you would like to learn more about forest preschools, please check out these articles by the North American Association for Environmental Education, The New York Times, and The Atlantic.

Location

Chickadee Forest Preschool is located on a private ranch in Portola Valley. The landscape includes meadow, forests, a small garden, and a seasonal creek.

About our program

**School will be closing June 2021. Not taking enrollments for Fall 2021**

Chickadee Forest Preschool is a mixed-age preschool for children ages 3-5 years.

We specialize in creating a small, stable, close-knit community. The program meets Monday through Thursday from 9am to 12:30pm. All children attend every day. In this way, children can relax into their daily routine and deepen their relationships.

A typical day at Chickadee Forest Preschool begins at drop-off when children say good-bye to their caregivers and join their friends in play and exploration. Mid-morning, the class gathers for circle time where we sing and move our bodies. Shared songs teach about the seasons, plants and animals, and help children connect with each other, laugh, and dance. At snack time, we watch the sky, observe, and discuss the day’s weather. This helps us prepare for the day’s adventure. Then it is off to play! During our extended playtime, children lead their own experiences and the teacher is there to support and extend their curiosity. Activities may include: imaginative play, making mud pies, climbing trees, hiking, nature-based art, gardening, and reading. After playtime, the students settle down for lunch. During lunch, the teacher shares a story, either told orally, or read from a book. These stories teach about the natural world, how to be a member of a community, and touch upon ancient myths. After lunch, children have a little more time to play before we transition into a calm-down period that includes mindfulness and yoga. We then clean up and come together for the closing circle, where we share one thing we are grateful for and sing a closing song before the children are picked up by their caregivers.

Health and safety are top priorities at Chickadee Forest Preschool. During these unprecedented times, the advantages of outdoor preschools are especially important. Our school provides fresh air and ample space to play. Our toys are natural materials such as sticks, leaves, and acorns. We follow rigorous hygiene routines and have received special training on how to safely run a preschool program during the COVID 19 pandemic.

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Admissions

Join the Chickadee Forest Preschool community in four easy steps:

1. Explore our website

We’ve provided information about our philosophies and offerings to help you decide if our program may be right for your family.

2. Tour our program

Come see what makes Chickadee Forest Preschool unique. If we are currently hosting tours, you can request or schedule a tour at the top of this page. If we are not currently hosting tours, you’ll see a “Request Info” button at the top of this page; if you submit your information using this button, we will notify you when we start host tours again in the future.

3. Submit an Enrollment Application

If you would like to enroll, please submit an application at www.wonderschool.com/chickadee-forest-preschool-5691/apply – note that we require tours for all prospective families. Please do not submit an application if you have not visited the program.

4. Enroll

After reviewing your application, we’ll send an enrollment invitation. Upon accepting your invitation you’ll pay your enrollment fee, fill out enrollment documents and review our Parent Handbook.