Reviews:

Christina Hohman 3/3/2025

I cannot give enough stars to and praise of Nature’s Way. I am not even sure my review can do this magical school and the teacher, Emily, justice! Both of my kids attend, and I cannot think of a better place for them. The class size is intentionally small, which creates a warm environment that is thoughtfully organized around the children’s needs and personalities. They feel so very loved and known. Another plus due to the small class size, the heavy emphasis on outdoor play, and Emily’s proactive approach with teaching and modeling proper hygiene and hand washing, is that we hardly ever get sick. We transferred from a daycare where the class sizes were very large, and the caregivers were constantly changing. Not only did we feel like small fish in a big sea, but we were never not sick at this daycare- heck, there was one month where we only attended 1 day due to so many back to back illnesses.

The setting is so beautiful- I love seeing pictures of them playing in the forest rain or shine. And they play their hearts out in the fresh air and get dirty- splashing in puddles, making mud pies, gathering eggs from the chickens, going on walks, painting the playhouse, playing and planting in the garden!!! Emily has multiple play areas/settings set up outdoors and interesting things to interact with, as well as indoor activities. I cannot begin to describe how wonderful it is to drop off my children, and hear of the fun and cozy activity waiting for them at the start of the day- baking bread/muffins, making fresh orange juice, flower arranging, planting/watering little seedlings, painting, making a simmer pot, etc, to name a few of the many many things!

And lastly, so so so much praise goes to the teacher, Emily, and her enthusiasm, genuine care and love, positivity, joy, and her well educated perspective on child development. She meets each child where they are at and she has even influenced our parenting style in a very positive way. Communication feels very balanced- there isn’t a barrage of status reports, but she does share beautiful moments- either in pictures or lessons learned. With my 3.5 yr old, I have seen his love of art flourish under her, and become so much more independent in play as well as taking care of himself more with pottying and dressing. With my 15 month old, I attribute so much of her independent play, verbal and non verbal communication, mobility, and love of the outdoors to Emily. She even started introducing successfully the potty to her!!! Lastly, it is always a little bumpy starting care at these young ages- separation anxiety is tough. I really appreciate Emily being a confident leader and working so much with us. It took a little time, but now both of my kids are nothing but smiles when we get to the doors of Nature’s Way.

Stefanie Foster 3/1/2025

Our family is so happy to have found Emily and her Nature’s Way Playschool via a recommendation from another local mom. Our kiddo is in her 2nd year there and absolutely loves it. She always looks forward to going and many days says she doesn’t want to leave at the end of the day. You won’t find a huge quantity of reviews because the class size is small - small enough that Emily really gets to know the kiddos. Her deep resonance with the kiddos is evident in the conversations we have and the photos she sends us of their activities. My main concern with seeking out early childhood care was an approach to emotional intelligence and behavior that was grounded in current developmental psychology. It is telling that several parents of kiddos/alumni of NWPS are therapists/counselors. But, what truly impressed me and helped me feel comfortable with leaving my kiddo in Emily’s hands was NWPS’ very clear handbook. Of course, all the activities they do are mostly child-led and my kiddo’s favorite things: playing outside and really getting dirty/messy rain or shine, bubbles (who doesn’t love bubbles!), process art outdoors, sensory play, imaginative play, helping in the garden, arts and crafts they bring home, and sometimes baking or making other food… Emily experience with early childhood education is evident and because of that she has a lot of knowledge and skills that cross over with occupational therapy. She has a deep understanding of child development and a reverence for neurodivergence. Take a tour, have a chat with her and you’ll see what I mean. NWPS really is a lovely place for kids to be kids.

Allison Sullivan 7/24/2023

After trying out a daycare center in town, our family didn’t feel like our son was getting the individualized care we really wanted for him when he was away from us. Upon a strong recommendation from another family, we contacted Emily at Nature’s Way Playschool and found exactly what we were looking for. Our son flourished with Emily and was cared for so lovingly. Communication was great between her and our family about his day, developmental milestones, needs, techniques that worked, etc. We loved the amount of time he was outside in the beautiful forest around the Playschool and how much space Emily provided for creativity. Even though our son is now school-aged, we have continued to keep a close relationship with her, which is something we treasure. We highly recommend Nature’s Way Playschool if you’re looking for a loving and nurturing environment for your child.