Mission
The mission of Dodge Nature Preschool is to provide premier early childhood environmental education which meets children’s developmental needs while initiating them into a lifelong, meaningful relationship with the natural world.
Educational Philosophy
Our Educational Philosophy
Dodge Nature Preschool offers a nature-based, emergent curriculum that supports the development of the whole child. We ensure that children are active participants in their own learning.
Children’s learning is supported by:
• Individualizing instruction based on children’s interests and abilities
• Providing opportunities for social interactions and developing friendship skills
• Encouraging problem solving and reflection by asking open-ended questions and valuing children’s ideas, insights, and concerns
• Creating an environment that encourages discovery, experimentation, and the opportunity to see the results of one’s actions
• Grouping in mixed-age classes to give children the opportunity to learn from and teach each other, much as it would occur naturally in multiple-child families
“Dodge is really a YES space. The teachers get to say yes to mud. We get to say yes to boot-skating on ice. We get to say yes to picking up frogs and turtles. You can’t just grow and learn sitting behind a desk. At Dodge, children learn building resilience, being a risk taker and building empathy for animals and for their peers.”
– Dodge Nature Preschool Teacher 2016–Present
Access and Inclusion
Dodge Nature Center and Preschool is for everyone. As stewards of the land, we create and foster a safe, inclusive, and welcoming environment where all can nourish their need for nature. We listen to, honor, and learn from the lived experiences and feedback of all to create a space where everyone feels welcome.
Providing access to environmental education and experiences in nature is essential to Dodge Nature Center and Preschool’s mission, vision, and values. As educators, we are committed to staying curious, challenging our status quo, and changing in ways that facilitate greater diversity, equity, and inclusion.
