Nature Preschool Program
Roots and Wings (ages 4-6)

Annual: $2100 (one day per week); or $4200 (two days per week).

Non-Refundable Enrollment Fee: $525, due upon registration. The remainder of tuition is payable in three payments due September 1, December 15, and March 15.

Scholarships If you require tuition assistance, we invite you to submit a Scholarship Application along with your application for Roots and Wings Nature Preschool (download a Scholarship Application in PDF format, complete it and mail it in).

The non-refundable enrollment fee is required to hold the place of all registrants, regardless of scholarship status. If, within two weeks of scholarship notification, scholarship applicants decide not to commit to the course, we will refund your fee in full. (This is the only event where the enrollment fee is refundable.)

Tuition Assistance: Your homeschooled child (age 5+) can receive valuable tuition assistance that can be applied toward costs at Roots and Wings! More details

At the core of our approach to educating young people is our concept of "Passion-based learning." This is the idea that every one of us has special gifts to bring to the world, things that spark our passions in life.

Our school's fundamental goal is to awaken this spirit in our students, and to help them identify and pursue their gifts. We believe that the most effective learning happens when young people are pursuing what they love, and so truly desire to learn.

Equally important is our philosophy that the most effective learning happens when students figure things out "on their own."

In their efforts to do this, they are individually guided by mentors who strive to create experiences and opportunities for students to discover their own answers.

We call this method Coyote Mentoring, a technique that encourages creative thinking rather than providing answers, and results in much deeper learning. It also stimulates the growth of problem-solving skills, and stretches the students into greater self-sufficiency in their living and learning.

Sol Marie Doran is a Coordinator and a Lead Instructor at Roots and Wings. She is also a lead instructor at Youth School. She came to Wilderness Awareness School from southern California, where she worked with Wilderness Youth Project, ran an early childhood outdoor program, and earned a B.S. in Ecology. She currently studies naturalist skills with Kamana and herbalist skills at Ravencroft. Her other passions include beekeeping, ethnic dance, and gardening.

Stephanie "CW" Etley serves as an instructor with Roots and Wings. She is also an avid Kamana student! Before coming to Wilderness Awareness School, Stephanie worked as a Licensed Massage Therapist, was an instructor for another local wilderness school, and has been caring for children (including her own) in a variety of settings for over 20 years. Stephanie is very excited about combining her love for children with her passion for nature. She is also passionate about music, health and healing, birds, soccer, and camping with her family.

Laura Hersh is an instructor with Roots and Wings and Youth School. She is a lover of all things nature, and grew up by the Salt Marsh on Long Island where she spent many days in the woods fishing, catching frogs and just daydreaming. Laura has been an outdoor educator since 2001 with Nassau Boces Outdoor Education, Ferry Beach Ecology School, Touch of Nature Education Center, The Cache River Wedlands Center in southern Illinois, the SCA in Alaska - where she created a Junior Ranger program - and Nature Vision in Redmond, Washington. She is a 2007 graduate of Wilderness Awareness School's Residential Program. Laura loves mentoring children and learns daily through their wonder.