Little Earthlings Forest School LLC

Our Teachers

David Anthony Calabrese is the Founder & Director of ‘little earthlings forest school‘.

David was born in Wallingford, CT and grew up with his his mother and father, two siblings and six first cousins, aunt and uncle, friends and extended family, his dog Fripp, and cat Jerry. Surrounded by expansive woodlands and farms, he spent every hour he could in the woods, winter, spring, summer and fall. The changing seasons of New England experienced from within the woods are simply magical to a young child, and remain vividly poignant to this day. David’s earliest aspirations were to become an artist. He holds a BFA from Manhattanville College in Purchase New York with a second in Philosophy. During undergraduate work he studied painting for a semester abroad in Firenze Italy. After graduation, David spent some years in Greenwich CT, Oakland, CA, Plymouth VT, and New York City. Moving to San Francisco, he married, and had a boy. Moving back to New York City, David co-founded the parents group, “Preschool on the Planet,” (which exists to this day) in Bruce’s Garden within Isham Park, Inwood. They then had a girl, and a year later, returned to San Francisco. David’s family enrolled in Rocky Mountain Participation Nursery School. While at Rocky Mountain he returned to City College of San Francisco, to acquire his Site Supervisor certification. His journey in early childhood education and child development, began as a working parent in the participation preschool, to the parent education chair, to c-dev City College student, to Coop Lead teacher, to MA of ECE (Early Childhood Education,) from SFSU. After a summer as director, he left the coop and founded Little Earthlings Forest School.

David has always observed life as a journey. One which begins so naturally, innocently, and condition free. Over time he has realized how complex and unpredictable that journey is, and that to encourage the agency of the young child, to support the dignity of discovering who they are, and to access and productively and positively scaffold that journey as they emerge and evolve, is the greatest honor he could imagine, as well as one of the most revolutionary acts he could facilitate. Ever optimistic for humanity, having children of his own, he continues to learn and grow, as his practice, directing, teaching, and parenting change with experience. Young children, in their most natural state, living, learning, socializing, and becoming self aware, in the natural environment through which the species evolved, has been and continues to be, the most enlightening experience and a true privilege for instructors, children and parents alike.

Bringing outdoor education to as many children, (and teachers) as possible has become one of his deepest passions, as he continues to recognize the very great benefit, healing and corrective direction nature provides, regardless of any human instruction. Nature has always taught, and continues to teach little earthlings far more than any human could achieve, for its lessons speak to a subtler level than we are able. The combination of the knowledge of Early Childhood education, Child Development and the wisdom of the Natural World, creates the BEST conditions imaginable for these essential foundational preschool years. David believes he might just have the best job on earth.

When he is not involved in early childhood education, David enjoys trips to even deeper woods, playing, recording and engineering musical projects, and being with his family. He is presently working on a docu-series about the historic San Francisco recording studio, Hyde Street Studios & Wally Heider Recording.

LEAD TEACHER

Bita Vafaee

Holds a Bachelor of Science Degree in Environmental Studies: Conservation and Restoration and a Bachelor of Arts in Art Studio from Sonoma State University from 2013-2017.

From 2016-2017 she was Lead Naturalist leading and teaching children on hikes at Fairfield Osborn Preserve in Rohnert Park, CA.

She has worked on a ranch in Sedona, AZ teaching kids to ride horses and explore the outdoors on hiking expeditions, and has lived on a homestead in Arcata, CA teaching children and adults forms of farming, homesteading, and permaculture practices.

Beeta began working and training with David as Lead Teacher at Little Earthlings Forest School from 2019-2021. During that time she increased her knowledge of Early Childhood Education, Child Development and Curriculum and family studies.

She moved to Fort Collins, CO from 2021-2022, to obtain a certification in Clinical Herbal Medicine at Equinox Center of Herbal Studies to deepen her understanding of botany, medicine, and ability to identify plant species and ecosystems. CPR Certified and trained 2022

She has returned to San Francisco and little earthlings forest school in 2023 and is very excited to be back with new experiences and knowledge!

Lead Teacher

Cait Ryan

Cait moved from Portland, Oregon to San Francisco in 2018 to attend the University of San Francisco. In 2023 she obtained a creative writing focused Bachelor’s Degree in English with a secondary degree in Psychology where she became familiar with early childhood development.

Her first experience working with youth came from three years of volunteer work at a crisis intervention hotline where she expanded her knowledge in nonviolent communication, crisis de-escalation, and empathic centered communication.

From 2018-2023 Cait bounced between managing a vintage store on Haight Street, baristaing at coffee shops, and curating vintage clothing to sell at local flea markets while finishing her degree. She also worked closely with a local author who wrote about her experience founding an alternative high school in San Francisco, which sparked a curiosity about creative forms of delivering education to individuals.

When she is not playing with the Little Earthlings, she enjoys hiking with her dog, Spitty, long drives to swim in cold rivers, reading, and writing creative non-fiction and poetry

Testimonials

“When I asked her again yesterday what she thought of Forest School, she had the sweetest answer—that Teacher David is her friend. And that you are the kind of friend that doesn’t make a person feel shy.” – Mom of Little Earthling

“He loves Little Earthlings so much that he insists he wants to start five days a week - today.” – Mom of Little Earthling

“If you are the type of parent who is into respectful parenting/gentle parenting (Janet Lansbury or Dr. Becky’s Good Inside, for example), this is where you want to send your kids. Our daughter has blossomed into a kid who is confident, grounded, resilient, and emotionally and socially aware. I am still trying to convince Teacher David to start his own podcast because he has been an extraordinary resource for us as new parents. We are forever grateful to him for helping us to become better parents and to foster a strong, deeply connected relationship with our daughter.

There is something magical that happens in the forest where there are no walls, no toys, just the open sky and their fellow classmates, that results in children who are deeply connected to others and themselves. Children learn to manage frustration, setback, how to challenge themselves, how to relate to others, how to self-advocate…all in a loving and supportive environment. David has advanced degrees in child development (which is unique for a preschool program) and our daughter got personalized attention every single day. Will they get cute art sent home? Or get drilled on their ABCs? No, because those are things that look good to parents, but aren’t developmentally what kids at this age need.

The toddler years are difficult, but Teacher David has guided us every step of the way, helping us to understand each developmental stage our daughter is in. He always says, “all behavior is communication” which is one of many things he’s taught us that’s transformed how we parent. He has helped us to understand and respond to our toddler’s baffling (and rattling) behavior so we can respond in a developmentally appropriate way that helps her, helps the behavior pass, and strengthens our bond.

Thanks to David’s school, there is a whole generation of children now in San Francisco whose autonomy has been respected from day one, who can name and voice their emotions, and whose first school experience has been one focused on resilience and interpersonal skills. I get chills to think of what these kids will be able to accomplish professionally and personally thanks to this amazing start they’ve gotten in life.

Little Earthlings graduates are just different–they are masters of their own destiny, innovators, resilient, respectful of themselves and others, and empathetic. No matter what kind of academic path our daughter chooses, we are confident that this first school experience at Little Earthlings will enable her success. Without question, we will be sending our son to Little Earthlings once he turns three, and will also continue to consult with David throughout both our children’s academic career.” – Mom of Little Earthling

“David has made such a huge impact on us and I can genuinely say he has made me a better parent. I am so grateful. I never would have imagined our first preschool experience could exceed our expectations in the way it has and this is in huge part to David.” – Anna, Zac, & Cam

“I can’t even find enough words to express what David has done for our family. Seeing him perform as a teacher was very inspiring and eye opening for me. He always took time to individually connect with each child and get to know them well. He gave them tools to voice their feelings even when they seemed very little to be able to and helped them find ways to stand up for themselves in front of others. I’ve seen kids bite, scream and hit during their first days of preschool and after a few weeks of David shadowing them and working with them totally transform into calm, peaceful and happy kids because their feelings were heard, their rights were respected and they were given the space to be the way they are. But I would even dare to say that the ones benefiting more from David were the parents. David’s knowledge of child social and cognitive development is so deep that parents would constantly go to him to ask him questions, even those parents attending different programs! He always had words of encouragement and wise advice. His talks on Parent Educational nights were so good and useful that I even attended the same talk more than once just to hear again all he had to say. My family wouldn’t be the same today without David’s help. He helped us understand our daughters and see what they needed from us as parents. I will be forever grateful for the big blessing of having him in our lives for 3 years. Our family is in a happier place because of him. Thank you David!”
– Victor, Lidia, Lucia and Keila

“We met Teacher David when my daughter joined a local Co-op Preschool in January of 2015. As new parents, David quickly became a go-to resource to my wife and I when we had questions about our 2.5 year-old, and her transition to this new environment. David always took the time to listen to our questions, and would help us through whatever it was that we were struggling with at the time. Yet, it wasn’t until about a year later that I realized David was doing more than answering questions, he was actually helping us become better parents. In addition to being a great educator to parents and children, David also has an innate ability to observe and diffuse conflicts between children, or help particular children with issues that cause them frustration. He squats down, listens, and patiently helps children work out their issues in a safe and supportive environment. After watching him do this time and time again, I have begun to call him the “kid-whisperer,” because there is something intangible inside of David that allows him to communicate and understand our children at a level that is not easy to obtain.” – Brian

“David Calabrese is a mentor on many levels for our family; he was a head instructor at my daughter’s preschool. Being a first time parent who practices attachment parenting, we experienced transition issues with our daughter as she learned to be more independent. The first reaction I had as a mother was that of shame or concern with my daughter’s constant crying and separation anxiety. David quickly helped us put her into a spectrum of emotional and physical development.

He made us understand she was “slow to warm” to social situations and helped us to realize that we are all individuals and have varying levels of social simulation that we find comfortable. Our daughter’s transition was a long and often challenging one. David was her anchor and more importantly a source of reassurance that our child was right where she needed to be in terms of her development. He provided peer reviewed data and articles that helped us to better understand her and her peers. He provided strategies to help her deal with her anxiety. He also was warm and loving, which any child needs in their early age.

I definitely had doubts about my investment in play based and attachment style parenting. But David’s continual support and my daughter’s subsequent years in school have helped me to see that she has become a strong, independent and empathetic person because of our choices. She is everything I would want in my child as they grow and I truly believe that David helped set that path. You can tell a lot about the impact people have on your children when they recall or request their presence years later. My daughter (age 6) is still asking for Teacher David to be invited to her birthday party each year. Her first and most loving teacher was David and he will be a cherished part of her pathway to adulthood. We can’t recommend him more for the support and guidance new parents need. It takes a village to raise a child, and I truly an honored to count David among our tribe!” – Jamie

… David joined the group and parents were asking about academics and how our school would prepare their kids for Kindergarten. I was captivated listening to him explaining how important it is to mainly focus on social-personal interactions and body development and the importance of working on those; taking the time to help kids deal with their feelings, their emotions and communication skills. – Anonymous

Philosophy

‘agents of experiences rather than simply undergoers of experiences’

The Mission of Little Earthlings Forest School is to provide an emotional and physically responsible, nature based learning environment for children and parents alike, where each persons journey is welcomed, where respect for each persons ideas are valued, where opportunities to make connections with the Earth and with each other are provided, where conflict and disagreement are understood to be a natural process of growth, where clarity, discovery of self, community and communication are supported, and where each persons trail is followed with curiosity, wonder and anticipation on our ways to discover how we learn how to learn.

1. Little Earthlings primary emphasis is is to hold a safe space for children to develop, grow, experience, expand, and become happy and confident. A strong self esteem, self identity and the ability to foster and maintain strong relationships with each other and with adults, is the best preparation for Kindergarten, grade school, and life!

Little Earthlings is an outdoor program taking place throughout the San Francisco Bay Area. The programs are for children aged 3 to 5 years. As we explore and connect with each other, ourselves, and nature, we develop a deep appreciation and connection with the Earth. All learning, relationship building, sense of self, and perceptions of reality as well as whole being development that occurs during these foundational years, are associated with the environment in which they transpire. Nature!

Children are natural born scientists, and the natural world is the perfect place for them to align with who they are and feed the process of inquiry, discovery, wonder, exploration, expansion, reflection, and all that contributes toward “learning how to learn.”

• Creativity,
• critical thinking skills,
• problem solving,
• social-emotional development,
• self advocacy,
• self esteem,
• relationship building, and
• discovering how we work together and independently, unfold in unique ways between children out of doors.

From birth to 5 years old, 90 percent of your child’s brain development occurs at a staggering rate, gathering momentum all along the way. Every sensory, emotional, cognitive, physical, social, inner and outer experience contributes to this process . They are information hatching masters!

Long before most children step foot into a classroom, neurons are making connections and building networks, cognition is exploding, language is developing, and the foundations are being laid for a lifetime of learning. Simultaneously, the foundational framework for how we think about ourselves and form and maintain relationships for the rest of our lives is formed. This formation will determine how we embrace or reject school.

What has been termed, social emotional development, has been identified as the primary indicator for personal satisfaction and achievement of ones goals and aspirations in life, not IQ. Once children gain mastery over these aspects of themselves, the good work of learning how to learn, and developing all aspects of their bodies and minds in order to be successful in school and life, aligns in joyous way.

Little Earthlings will work on self regulation and impulse control, developing coping mechanisms and identifying tools to use in the life long practice of familiarizing themselves with how they operate as individuals. In short, they will begin the journey of learning how they work, of what makes them who they are, and how to operate this wonderful mechanism we experience life in.

For the past 19 years I have worked side by side with children, parents, teachers, professors, and mentors in parent groups, cooperative preschool settings, every childhood education institutions, colleges and universities, supporting and demystifying the process of becoming, developing, growing, (for both the parents and the children.) My ability to work with parents has also been heralded by many, as exemplary. The first 5 years of life are the most important for human development, and can be the most difficult for parents to comprehend. They are often also the most rewarding.

Little Earthlings Forest preschool hopes to continue working directly with the parents and their children, as often as possible, in the field and after hours, supporting and nurturing them in order to foster a richer deeper connection for your families, for self, and for life.

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Location

Little Earthlings Forest School is permitted to operate ion Golden Gate park through Parks and Recreation, San Francisco Bay, CA. As a traveling band of adventuring young children, we may voyage up to 6 miles a day, beginning at one location, and field tripping our way through our child-led day.

• Daily programs begin at the drop off spot at 9am. Pick up is the same unless otherwise notified.

Little Earthlings will be outside in all weather, which can change rapidly in the San Francisco Bay Area, from warm and sunny, to cold and foggy. Dressing properly, in layers, with appropriate foot gear and clothing is required for a safe rewarding learning experience. If you need references for gear please ask and they will be provided.

About our program

Learn more about forest schools and nature-based programs HERE.

I choose the name Little Earthlings to remind us that children are new to this planet. Little Earthlings is child-led. They are encountering existence through their experience and we are here to help them, to guide them, to assist their process of discovering who they are, where they are going, and what they are developing into. It is such an honor to be part of this unfolding and developing process, to witness growth and learning right before ones eyes. The brain is organizing, making connections, the body is developing, the senses are providing stimuli and feedback, the emotions are guiding and they are all working together, figuring out how to play with each other, to critically think, to problem solve, in order to get their needs met, which ultimately means, in order to learn, which inevitably leads to being happy :)

Little Earthlings are quite literally learning what it means to live life on earth, what it means to become an adult human being. They are in a constant state of devouring information, assimilating this into an understanding of reality which in turn informs who they are. We as teachers, parents and the adults in their lives are constantly modeling for them what it means to be a human being, what living on earth is like. As such, I believe it is our responsibility to constantly reflect upon who we are as educators and parents, to investigate our own processes and to vigilantly carry the awareness that “we are constantly modeling for our children.”

The two main questions that create distinctions between schools, philosophies, curriculums and pedagogies are,

1. “What should children learn?”
2. “What should teachers teach?”

As you reflect back to your own childhood, and the world you developed in, consider today,

with all its technology and information, its rapid growth and changing societal dynamics from interpersonal relationships to screens,

and continue to imagine what 2036 might look like, you realize that to answer these basic questions is extremely difficult.

So what do children need to learn in the moment and beyond?

My mission has always been to help parents help their children recognize the unique individuals they are, so that no matter what the world will become, they know who they are, what they excel at, what their challenges might be, and how to plug into whatever society they inherit from us.

The work of children is to play!

Play is brain development, innovation, risk taking, knowledge building, processing, organizing, cataloguing, in essence writing the program that will reveal the nature of people, groups, school, society and life. When all of this “Play,” happens in nature, Nature become connected to it, associated with it, and inseparable from the image and identity that is in a constant state of becoming within every child.

Little Earthlings Teacher’s jobs

The occupation teachers benefit most from in order to become better teachers, is the continual practice of discovering who they are as educators through reflection, engagement with peers, and the active participation in their own process of growth, expansion, discovery and learning. In this way, the teacher, parent or adult embody a physical example from which the children learn. WE model not only what it means to be a human being, but how human beings work with their diverse experiences, positive and negative.

What makes little earthlings so special? Nature, and teachers.

“The environment is the third teacher.” It provides the child with the materials which draw them in, provoke their curiosity and imagination, and lead them towards assembling deeper understanding of the world and themselves. Our program is conducted entirely outdoors. The simplest distinction between Forest School and Formal School is that the later is created by the “Brain of Humankind,” and the former by “Creation itself.” Both have wonderful aspects and contributions toward the development and education of young children, but no human invented environment can equal the offerings nature itself provides, especially for young children. Nature teaches children far more than any teacher ever could.

On Agency in young children and forest school

Being allowed to try, what you think you can do is called agency! How very very important this is during the first 5 years! It can be the difference between developing independent thinkers and doers, or those who can only operate when given instruction. Those who rely upon themselves to experience joy, and those who depend upon the approval of others.

Making your own choices, deciding what you wish and want to do, influencing play and the emotions or actions of others, recognizing the impact you have and are, on the world, is Agency, in the young child’s life. If Children are encouraged or more frequently in today’s society, ALLOWED, young children enjoy the opportunity to align with their instinctual and natural impulses, with what they believe they can do. They develop trust in themselves.

Instincts help preserve us, including the activity of seeking knowledge and understanding. Impulses often identify emotionally satisfying experiences, and reveal our needs, which also activates learning.

In fact, every instance a child seeks to exercise their agency,

• a neuron is firing,
• a synapse is created,
• myelination is strengthening between the right and left hemisphere of the brain,
• a curiosity is satisfied,
• a wonder is investigated,
• an aspect is examined,
• life is experienced,
• and learning, which is tied to the whole being, their environment and their society, is massively and rapidly engaged, working, happening, thriving. Agency is all that!

When a child wishes to act deliberately and is supported to that end, and is successful, the capacity and eagerness to act deliberately, and learn more, increases! This feedback loop, or momentum, may be at the very core of our sense of meaning, our desire to understand, our need to know. Through the positive reinforcement of this momentum, certain that engaging in this process is heading them in the right direction, they become more capable of speaking for themselves, of feeling comfortable, powerful, natural, normal, and certain in and of themselves, and in their social world. Exercising agency is the activity of realizing that when you act through one’s own accord, you become responsible __for shaping your own life, as well as recognizing how you are shaping others.

Developing a strong sense of agency at the youngest age possible literally lays the neural framework and pathways of a strong self identity, well being and as a most fertile foundation for a lifetime of learning.

This learning is their own. It is not searched online. It is not read or derived from others. It is achieved by yourself, through living experience.

The opportunities which naturally become available every minute of forest school lend themselves to stimulating the necessity for a child’s agency to become active. From traversing uneven terrain, to achieving great physical feats, such as tree climbing, overcoming insurmountable challenges or just enjoying a peaceful moment alone or with a friend, agency is everywhere outdoors. What might take a teacher hours of prep time to achieve in the classroom is readily available in nature, instantly. From simple opportunities, to monumental obstacles overcome, children are exposed to possibilities in forest school that simply can not exist indoors.

Little earthlings in their natural habitat, consistently produces,

• happy,
• regulated,
• adjusted,
• eager,
• social,
• learning children. The same children who in 25 years time or less, will become responsible for society.

The reality is, children are not allowed to try these days. There are too many concerns about harm, litigation, about competency, about aptitude. By the time children arrive in grade school most of the windows of opportunity to exercise agency, have been shut. We think as a society that Kindergarten is when “it” all begins, and in some ways that is true.

Who is going to Kindergarten?

The foundational seed, the desire, the creation of confidence, and the will to believe in oneself in order to engage, comes from the first 5-7 foundational years of life. Years that define us for the duration of our journey on earth. If we were trees, the preschool years would be our heartwood. It the time that our core selves develops. Everything is new, and many many first times are unfolding. That is so important to every teacher at little earthlings!!!

It has been my experience, over 4+ years in the woods with children, that children don’t just achieve, they exceed all expectations. That is the BEST type of learning. The BEST growth and the BIGGEST smiles you will ever see!

You can also check out IG page HERE.

Warmly,

David A. Calabrese, Director little earthlings

Admissions

1. If you would like to enroll in Little Earthlings Forest School, or are interested in finding out more,
2. Please familiarize yourself with the material on our website.
3. Email us at [email protected] and tell us about your child, name, date of birth, and what has drawn you to our program, as well as any information about previous programs your child has participated in.
4. Schedule a voice call with the director at [email protected]. at which time a tour will be arranged.
5. Submit an Enrollment Application. If you would like to enroll, please submit an application. Please note that we require a call or tour for all prospective families. Do not submit an application if you have not completed a call or tour.

Enroll

After reviewing your application, we’ll send an enrollment invitation. Upon accepting your invitation, you’ll pay your deposit (usually equal to one month’s tuition), fill out enrollment documents and review our Parent Handbook.

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