Child Care and Early Education Research Connections

Skip to main content

Nature-based preschools in the US: 2020 snapshot

Share
Description:

Over the past three years, nature-based preschools, forest kindergartens, and outdoor preschools (collectively, nature preschools) in the US have more than doubled to 585, and nature preschools can now be found in nearly every state in the United States. Over the past decade, this represents a nearly 25-fold increase. As nature-based education is becoming an increasingly popular choice in preschool education, nature preschools are emerging as a specialized preschool option not unlike other approaches to early childhood education, such as Montessori or Reggio-Emilia schools. In addition, the 585 programs reported here represent only schools that have fully adopted nature-based education as the core of their program; countless other schools are incorporating nature with gardens, outdoor classrooms, field trips, partnerships with environmental education centers, and in many other ways. (author abstract)

Resource Type:
Fact Sheets & Briefs

Related resources include summaries, versions, measures (instruments), or other resources in which the current document plays a part. Research products funded by the Office of Planning, Research, and Evaluation are related to their project records.

- You May Also Like

These resources share similarities with the current selection.

What does 20 years of research say about teaching language and literacy in preschool?

Fact Sheets & Briefs

Preschool and Kindergarten Behavior Scales (2nd ed.)

Instruments

Perry Preschool: Intergenerational effects

Fact Sheets & Briefs

Making it REAL: Using informational picture books in preschool classrooms

Other
Release: 'v1.28.0' | Built: 2023-04-17 15:59:38 EDT