A forest preschool for ages 3 to 5
Fiddlehead is a small forest preschool in Brattleboro, Vermont. Children spend their mornings on the trail and in the meadow behind our building, and the heated indoor base is there for lunch, rest and the days the weather says stay in.
Weather days
Before 6:30 a.m. the director walks the trail and checks the forecast. These are the rules she follows.
The director checks the trail, the forecast and the air-quality reading before 6:30 a.m. By 7:00 a.m. every family gets a text with one of three answers.
Forest day: the morning outdoors, as planned
Short forest day: two shorter stretches outdoors, with a warm-up at the base between them
Indoor day: the whole day at the indoor base
Teachers check every child's layers at the gate and again at snack. When the temperature with the wind chill falls below 10 degrees, it is an indoor day. From 10 to 20 degrees it is a short forest day.
Spare mittens and socks stay at the base for every child
An adult checks cheeks, fingers and toes at each stop
Light rain and falling snow are forest weather. Children wear waterproof layers and boots, and a tarp goes up at the morning spot. Steady heavy rain or an icy trail makes it a short forest day or an indoor day.
On hot days we stay in the shade of the trees, take water breaks and come back to the base early. Hats, sunscreen put on at home and a full water bottle are on the list.
Thunder, lightning, high wind that moves big branches, an iced trail and a poor air-quality reading all make it an indoor day. If a storm builds while we are out, the whole group walks back together right away.
The heated base has cubbies for boots, a long table, a rest corner and a story rug. We go back every day for lunch, and on an indoor day it is where the day happens: clay, cooking, songs and stories.
Summer weeks
Six weeks of forest mornings for ages 3 to 5, for enrolled children and for families who are new to us. Each week has its own theme and the same weather rules.
Mud kitchens, moss gardens and what lives under a log.
Dens, bridges and cairns, built one stick at a time.
Magnifying glasses, bug hotels and a lot of looking closely.
Tasting what is ripe, and bark boats floated in a basin.
Listening walks, a bird blind and nests made of grass.
Long stories under the trees, clay and a slow last week of summer.
Sample sessions.
Weeks run Monday to Friday. The same weather rules apply in summer.
Programs
Choose the days and the length of the day. Every program starts at the gate, and the school day adds lunch and rest at the indoor base.
3-year-olds
Three- and four-year-olds share one group, so the younger children walk with older friends.
4-year-olds
The older children take turns at the front of the walk to the morning spot.
Children are outdoors from about 8:45 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. on every program, and the indoor base is open all day.
Sample programs.
Dates
Tours run in spring and fall, applications open in January and families hear from us in March.
April and October
A tour takes about an hour: a walk to the morning spot, a look at the indoor base and time for your questions. Children are welcome to come along, in boots.
Book a tourJanuary
On our enrollment page, and it takes a few minutes. Families using the state pre-K program fill in one more form, and we help with it.
March
By email and a phone call, with a place or a spot on the waitlist.
Late June to mid August
Six weeks of forest mornings, one theme each.
Late August
New children start with a short morning alongside a parent, then a full morning the next day.
Late December and a week in April
Mud season has a break of its own. The full list of closures goes out at the start of the school year.
Sample dates.
Safety and license
Licensed by Vermont DCF, Child Development Division
Child care center license · VT License # 000000Verify
1 adult to 10 children
3-year-olds
Group size: 12
1 adult to 10 children
4-year-olds
Group size: 12
Group size
Up to 12 children
with 2 adults
Capacity
24
Ages 3 years to 5 years
A first-aid kit, a charged phone and the family contact list go with every group, and an adult with current CPR and first-aid training is always with the children. The indoor base is a short walk from every spot we use.
We count the children at the gate, at every move between spots and before we leave a spot. The group has a rope loop for the walk, and the second adult always walks at the back.
The trees that mark where the group plays are flagged, and children practice the call that means stop and come in. Every child has a walking buddy.
An adult signs each child in and out at the gate. Children go home only with the people on your list, and we ask for ID until we know you.
Children wear long pants tucked into socks in tick season, and we check for ticks at the end of the day. We name the plants to leave alone, and nobody handles an animal without a teacher beside them.
There are no open fires. Children use only child-size tools with an adult beside them, and water play stays in basins and shallow tubs.
Ask us about child care assistance
Sample details.
The team
Five adults work with the children at Fiddlehead: a director, two teachers and two assistants. Two of them are here.
Director and lead teacher
Charlee leads the school and teaches the older group. She walks the trail before every forest day, and she is the person to ask about a tour.
Forest teacher
Henrik teaches the younger group and leads the morning circle on the stump ring. He knows where the first fiddleheads come up in April.
Families
“The text comes before breakfast, so I always know what kind of day it is. The first morning, our son came home muddy to the knees and asked where his boots were.”
“The layers list made the first week easy. We bought what it said, the teachers checked every zip, and we never had to guess.”
“The teachers kneel to a child's height and say what they see. Pickup is a slow, friendly handoff at the gate, and someone always knows my name.”
Sample reviews.
A tour takes about an hour on a weekday morning, boots on, with time at the indoor base for your questions.