Nature-Based Preschools in the US: 2020 Snapshot

The Natural Start Alliance is proud to release new research that documents the continued expansion of nature preschools in the United States. Three years after our last report, the number of nature preschools in the United States has more than doubled to an estimated 585 programs, or a 25-fold increase over the past decade.

The report makes the case for nature in young children’s education, pointing to benefits from improved academic performance to increased physical activity to stress relief. As the report demonstrates, interest in this approach to education has been growing steadily over the past decade, but the pandemic could boost interest even further. Christy Merrick, director of the Natural Start Alliance, explains, “As health experts agree that virus transmission is less likely outdoors than indoors, and parents and education leaders are looking for creative solutions to safely return to school, interest in nature-based education could soar.”

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