We're hiring a Lead Forest School Educator for the 2023-24 School Year. Lead Educators at the Growing Wild Forest School are passionate about providing a safe and nurturing environment for children that encourages their social, emotional, physical and intellectual development in an outdoor, nature-based setting. The Lead Educator works closely with a co-teacher and children to facilitate outdoor classes with children. Tasks include thoughtful curriculum design based on children’s emergent interests, on-going reflection about and assessment of children and the forest school program, and collab ..read more

Growing Wild Forest School is an all-outdoor, play-based nature connection preschool based in West Asheville serving children ages 3-6 during the school year and ages 3-8 during the summer. We are the first program established by The Forest School Foundation, a 501(c)3 dedicated to making nature connection education accessible to all young children. TO APPLY: Email resume and cover letter to Growing Wild Forest School at info@theforestschoolfoundation.org with the subject line "GWFS substitute teacher" or "GWFS assistant teacher" Please do not call or contact us via Facebook or Instagram mess ..read more

Interested in joining our team? Email your resume + two references to admin@theforestschoolfoundation.org with the subject line "Admin Role" and why you would be a great fit. $16/hr, 8+ hours a week. This work from home role is great for a parent or anyone looking to supplement their income. We have room to grow! The full job description is available here ..read more

Did you know that Growing Wild Forest School is one of the only not-for-profit outdoor preschools in the state? Indeed, most people are surprised to hear that we were founded less than 5 years ago, and today are led by a handful of part-time staff and an all-volunteer board of directors. As a small non-profit with limited resources, we are always thinking creatively and looking towards our community for opportunities to improve. For families wondering how to help us grow to our full potential we've outlined some out-of-the-box ways to support our school, and our larger foundation. Every little ..read more

Year after year Growing Wild Forest School has noticed the enrollment ratio of young boys outweigh that of girls, even despite the fact that our educators are overwhelmingly female. Unfortunately this disproportion is typical for nature preschools around the world- not just ours. Indeed, a report conducted by the Girl Scout Research Institute confirmed that preschool girls are 16% less likely to be taken outside by their parents to play than boys their age. Why is this? We can only assume it's the parent/caretakers decision - influenced by their unconscious bias of gender stere ..read more

“Earth and sky, woods and fields, lakes and rivers, the mountain and the sea, are excellent schoolmasters, and teach of us more than we can ever learn from books.”  John Lubbock Despite it's simplicity, the concept of formalized outdoor schooling is relatively new. Humans have been learning within nature since the beginning of time, but the concept of the forest school did not originate until the middle of the 20th century. Nature-based, environmental and outdoor experiential education can take countless forms, such as summer camps, scouting, Outward Bound programs, wilderness thera ..read more

Nature gives to every season some time and beauties of its own. Charles Dickens New Afternoon Session Added! As more families opt for homeschooling, earthschooling and other flexible education models, we realized that expanding our programming for fall was essential for public health. Now families can choose to enroll from 8am-12 pm OR 1-5pm. Register Now - Spots are filling quickly! New Outerwear Savings Program for Students We're proud to be partnering with Swedish children's brand Polarn O. Pyret to extend a 20% discount to our enrolled families. P.O.P makes high-quality weatherproof outerw ..read more

Growing Wild Forest School, an all-outdoor preschool based in Asheville, NC, is currently seeking part-time and substitute educators for our summer camp and year-round programming. Our school is expanding rapidly to meet the increasing demand for safe, reliable and quality education amidst the pandemic. ABOUT US Founded in 2016, we are the first program established by The Forest School Foundation, a 501(c)3 organization dedicated to making nature connection education accessible to all young children. Our preschool serves children ages 3-6 during the school year and ages 3-8 during the summer ..read more

PLEASE NOTE: THE APPLICATION PERIOD HAS CLOSED AS OF JULY 22. WE ARE NO LONGER ACCEPTING APPLICATIONS FOR THIS POSITION, HOWEVER ,,WE ARE STILL HIRING FOR EDUCATORS. THANK YOU FOR YOUR INTEREST! Growing Wild Forest School, an all-outdoor preschool based in Asheville, NC, is currently seeking part-time assistant to provide administrative and organizational support for our summer camp and year-round programming. Our school is expanding rapidly to meet the increasing demand for safe, reliable and quality education amidst the pandemic. ABOUT US Founded in 2016, we are the first program established ..read more

Play-based outdoor learning benefits the whole child, and the whole community. -Kathryn Long, FSF Founder & Education Director In the past few months, the forest school model has made international headlines in major news publications, including The Washington Post, The New York Times, Vogue and countless others. For good reason, of course - outdoor spaces have been proven to reduce the infection and spread of the novel coronavirus. There is even evidence that vitamin D (sunlight) can boost immunity against the virus. When safety and science is coupled with the urgent demand for accessible ..read more