Hartley Nature Center's Preschool Set to Open in Fall

DULUTH - The snow drifts may be deep around Hartley Nature Center, but inside the building Hartley staff are eagerly anticipating next fall, when Hartley will open a nature-based preschool for 3-5 year old children.

The preschoolers enrolled in the new program will have the 660 acres of Hartley Park for a classroom.

"It's a dream classroom for both the children and the teachers!" says Preschool Director, Kaitlin Erpestad, who grew up skiing and exploring in Hartley Park.

The preschoolers will attend 2 or 3 sessions a week and will spend a majority of each session playing outdoors in all seasons and all (safe) weather.

Hartley Nature Preschool will look a lot like a traditional preschool with time for listening to stories, singing songs, and doing art projects.

However, the focus of the preschool will be on the natural world and what is happening outside the windows and walls of the classroom.

The children will learn through playing in and with nature—both indoors and out.

"Young children are naturally drawn to nature," says Erpestad. "When they play in nature all of their senses are engaged and they are busy learning the entire time."

The new preschool program aims to deepen and enrich Hartley's environmental education offerings by immersing young children in nature through frequent visits to the woods of Hartley Park.

"The research stands behind this model," says Erpestad, "and suggests that when young children have regular experiences in the natural world in the company of caring adults they are more likely to develop a connection with nature that may last their whole lives."

The Nature Preschool will also help meet a growing need to get young children to unplug their electronics, get moving, and get outdoors.

"Kids are missing out on the experiences that many of us took for granted as part of childhood," says Erpestad. "We need to teach children and their families how to play outside again."

Hartley Nature Center received generous grants from the Duluth-Superior Area Community

Foundation's Community Opportunity Fund and the Northland Foundation to support a portion of the preschool's start-up costs.

Families interested in learning more or in enrolling their child can find more information at www.hartleynature.org or by calling the Hartley office at 724-6735.

Hartley Nature Center's mission is to inspire life-long connections to nature through education, play, and exploration.

Hartley Nature Center is a non-profit, environmental education organization operating out of Duluth's beautiful Hartley Park.

Hartley offers programming for people of all ages year round.

The Nature Center is open to the public from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturdays, and 12 p.m. to 5 p.m. on Sundays in the winter.