We welcome Lauren Zander and Del Joseph to the Early Partners Team, as the co-teachers of the Forest School. Lauren is a New Orleans native who trained in the United Kingdom where she became Forest School certified. After helping to establish a Forest School preschool in Seattle, she taught at Green Trees Early Learning Village at Newman, and earned her Master's degree in Outdoor Leadership and Early Childhood Development, as well as her Master Naturalist certification at Goddard University. Lauren will be pursuing her doctoral degree in Early Childhood Leadership with an emphasis on Outdoor Education from LSU School of Education alongside her teaching and program design at EP.  Del is a veteran early childhood educator with over 15 years in the field. Del has taught at several Type III early learning centers and most recently taught at St. George's Episcopal School. She has a Bachelor's Degree from the University of South Carolina. Outside of the classroom, Del is also an actress and can often be seen in local productions!

The natural world is our first classroom; it is the space that informs and unifies all living beings. This August, Early Partners is opening its first Forest School Outdoor Classroom. In the EP Forest School, children have agency in their learning as they spend their days outdoors, engaging, and learning from the earth. With the same level of quality and intentionality as traditional classrooms inside the building, this child-centered model facilitates language-, social emotional-, and analytical development in an outdoor setting where kids engage in real world lessons with other humans, plants, animals, and natural processes occurring before them. In addition to gaining a deeper appreciation for the environment, learning outdoors can support increased concentration among learners who may have difficulties in a traditional classroom environment. We are thrilled to add this to our program as we seek to support all young learners.

Children who are 3- or 4-years-old by August 15, 2023, and who are fully potty trained are eligible for enrollment in EP's Forest School. If you are interested in enrolling your child, please first apply for enrollment to Early Partners here and fill out a Forest School interest form here.