100 Acre Wood Forest Preschool (Non-profit)

100 Acre Wood Forest Preschool needs our communities' help to get off the ground....or rather...on the ground!  

The Town of the Blue Mountains and surrounding communities need more childcare options!  This is a growing concern and we, a group of local passionate citizens and parents, are going to help solve this crisis.  100 Acre Wood Forest Preschool will open its trails and doors in October 2019 at Kimbercote Farm, Heathcote ON.   100 Acre Wood Forest Preschool will be a place where young children form a deep connection with the natural world, make lasting friendships, learn through play and child-led learning, howl at the moon, and go home dirty.   As a licensed non-profit early years child care provider we will offer full time and part time childcare for children 18 months to 4 years old.   

Thanks to our strong community connections and and partnership with registered charity Elephant Thoughts, we have successfully fundraised to cover things such as toys and storage, kitchen supplies, appliances, and some furniture.   We still need start up capital to ensure our services and infrastructure will meet and exceed parent expectations.  

Natural playground $4500
Learning materials, sleeping cots, cubbies $4100
Office supplies and software $1400
Fence (required for licensing) $6500
Marketing printing/web $800
Forest School Practitioner Training for ECEs $3000
Raised Garden Beds $1700


PERKS! Any donation helps - even $5!  Donate $20 or more and receive a gift certificate for one free Parent and Tot Forest School Play Date (valid until December 2020) to use yourself or to share!  



More Info:

VISION

100 Acre believes in natural play-based, inquiry based, and child-led learning.  We attract and retain the most passionate and experienced teaching staff that share our love of nature, desire to nurture the curious mind, and to stand back and let learning happen.

 
Business Overview
100 Acre is a licensed non-profit early years child care provider.  We offer full time and part time childcare for children 18 months to 4 years old.  Our program is outdoor based, with a complete indoor facility to host nap time, washrooms, and inclement weather play.  Children are cared for on an individual basis while adhering to all regulations set out by the Ontario Ministry of Education.  100 Acre Woods certified early childhood educators apply principles of inquiry based learning, child-led learning, play based learning, and nature based learning in their mindful interactions with each child.

We are collaborating with Elephant Thoughts, a local and very reputable educational charity from whom we will be renting our space.  We are a provincially incorporated non-profit organization #1982823.
 
Beyond the full time Monday to Friday preschool programming, 100 Acre Wood also hosts Parent and Tot Forest School Play Dates once or twice per week.  Weekend programming may be added.
 
Students of 100 Acre Wood spend their formative early years roaming wild areas and forested land, they grow up with a love of nature in their heart, and become leaders and change makers of a sustainable future. Having been involved in growing food in our on-site gardens and tending to on-site chickens, our graduates also leave our programs with a unique perspective on where food comes from and with a healthy relationship to healthy food. 
 
Additionally, 100 Acre Wood Forest Preschool will operate year round, and may consider offering childcare outside of regular business hours if there is enough demand and staffing resources available. 

At 100 Acre Wood children are given the opportunity and space to learn while playing in a natural setting.  All facilities meet and exceed the Ministry of Education Early Years licensing standards as well as building and fire code, and public health regulations. Children use both the fenced forested area to explore freely, turning over leaves and climbing over logs, and they travel along trails as a group to stop and explore different types of natural wild settings.  We use child-led learning philosophies and encourage inquiry-based learning.  The playrooms allow children to move freely exploring the learning stations set out by the teachers each day.
 
100 Acre Wood has a vegetable garden on site which both children and staff care for.  The food is used in the children’s snacks and meals, as well as available for staff to take home with them.  Children are offered healthy (organic and local when available) lunch, snacks, and water. No processed foods, no junk foods. Children also take part in the menu planning, food prep, serving food, and cleaning up. The menu exceeds the ministry’s requirements in terms of variety and the use of fresh local food options.

Volunteer Board of Directors:
Chair - Joanna Zycki
Vice-Chair - Erik Koopman
Secretary - Laura Euesden
Treasurer - Sam Pollock
Director - Lisa Pottier
Executive Director - Kimberly Edwards

Contact us @ [email redacted] 
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