Green Space Nature Preschool
Green Space Nature Preschool
Located in North Forth Worth
Easily accessible from I35 and Loop 820
Monday – Friday
7:30 am – 6:00 pm
New Extended Hours and Services!
Programs available for ages 6 weeks to school age with part-time, full-time, and backup care options.
To schedule a visit click the button below.
Questions? Email preschool@greenspacetx.com or
call 817-885-5676.
Why Nature Preschool?
Children and nature are old friends. In the past, children would enjoy activities like making mud pies, digging for treasure in the sand, and chasing butterflies. However, with the increasing use of screens and less time spent outside, children are becoming disconnected from the world around them. Research tells us that time outdoors is essential for children’s emotional well-being and can enhance their brain development, motor skills, self-regulation, communication, and self-esteem.
At Green Space Nature Preschool in Fort Worth, Texas, we aim to help children thrive by immersing them in nature. Our campus includes facilities for infants and toddlers and a professionally curated Nature Preschool for children aged 3 to 6. We utilize Open-Ended Play, Emergent Curriculum, the Reggio Emilia Approach, Montessori methods, and Project-Based Curriculum, where we view children as capable and curious individuals.
Audrey Rowland, a renowned childhood development expert and educator, founded Green Space in 2015. Her inspiration for this innovative preschool was simple: how can we create a space where children are respected and valued just as they are?
“We’ve been saying to babies since they were born: Who you are right now is not as good as who you will be. We have to stop and let children be who they are right now. [Green Space is] the place for play, autonomy, resilience, problem-solving, persistence, and emotions. We are a place where children get to be all the things – not just the things that are convenient and tolerable to adults. Let’s accept them in our classrooms for who they are.“
– Founder & CEO, Audrey Rowland
What is Open-Ended Play?
Our Nature Preschool, located in North Fort Worth, boasts a professionally designed outdoor play space that prioritizes the safety of every child while fostering imagination, tactile exploration, and exposure to nature. The outdoor space features water-based experiences such as the Water Sluice and Mud Kitchen that engage children and support creativity. Other areas include the Sensory Walk, Loose Parts Zone, Climbing Zone, and Garden Beds, among others.
We have curated the rooms inside the preschool with materials that mimic their real-world counterparts, using organic matter like wood, metal, and fabric.
Children engaged in Open-Ended Play freely explore and develop a deep sense of self-confidence by embracing the freedom to reimagine and recreate the world around them.
What is Emergent Curriculum / the Reggio Emilia Approach?
Emergent Curriculum is an approach that prioritizes each child’s unique interests and emerging skills as the basis for learning. At Green Space, our Curriculum is not predetermined but instead emerges from the interests and skills of individual children. This approach recognizes children as active participants in their learning and values their engagement and motivation as the key to effective learning.
The Reggio Emilia Approach to early childhood education is an innovative and child-centered approach that originated in Reggio Emilia, Italy. It is based on the belief that children are competent and capable learners with the right to participate actively in their education.
At Green Space, we provide open-ended and hands-on activities that act as a starting point for children to construct their knowledge.
How do Preschoolers Learn?
Preschool-aged children thrive in active learning environments that allow them to learn through play and exploration. Instead of imposing an adult-led didactic instruction, we encourage children to pursue their interests allowing them to lead their learning process.
Our approach empowers children through positive interactions with people who matter to them. Children need the opportunity to interact with adults and peers without the pressure of adapting to the adult world.
Conflict resolution is an integral part of our daily experience at Green Space. Instead of avoiding conflict or treating it as a separate lesson, our teachers use a problem-solving approach to help children learn how to address the issues they experience. We encourage each child to find solutions and ask questions to approach the situation better next time. Conflict is a learning opportunity and critical to our ability to advocate for ourselves and navigate relationships.
What is a Project-Based Curriculum?
Our Curriculum at Green Space is centered on a Project-Based Model that emphasizes long-term projects as one of its main pillars. These projects can last for weeks, months, or even the entire school year, depending on how much children and teachers learn along the way. At Green Space, our teachers act as advisors, while the children are the architects, making it a cooperative effort.
Our goal is to support the development of children’s emotional intelligence and social skills. Children have many opportunities to work in small and large groups, strengthening critical cognitive skills such as communication, negotiation, critical thinking, and initiative.
We ensure that each child has a voice, which promotes a balance between belonging to the group and a sense of self.
We accept Child Care Services (CCMS/CCS)
Visit the Tarrant County CCMS Website for the application or for more information: https://tarrantcountyccms.org/
The Tarrant County CCMS Application is in English, and Spanish-speaking staff at CCMS can assist caregivers with this form over the phone at 817-831-0374.