A. Denver Audubon Nature Preschool offers a rare and enriching early childhood experience rooted in over 50 years of environmental education leadership. As part of Denver Audubon—a trusted conservation organization since 1969—we bring a legacy of community stewardship, science-based learning, and nature connection to every aspect of our preschool program.

Our highly trained educators, known as “guides,” hold advanced degrees and certifications in early childhood and outdoor education. They skillfully support each child’s natural curiosity through a balance of child-led exploration and intentional teaching. Our program is built on developmentally appropriate practices and a deep respect for the competencies of young children.

We guarantee a 6 : 1 ratio (two Guides for 12 children) and usually operate closer to 3 : 1 when Assistants and volunteers join us.

Nestled within the 8-acre Kingery Nature Center at Chatfield State Park, our preschool takes place in a biologically rich and ecologically diverse landscape filled with forests, meadows, wetlands, and wildlife. This vibrant natural setting provides endless opportunities for discovery, play, and connection—no two days are the same.

Families choose Denver Audubon Nature Preschool not only for its educational quality, but also for its values: respect for children, community partnership, and a commitment to nurturing a lifelong love of the natural world. It's more than a preschool—it's a foundation for environmental literacy, joyful learning, and whole-child development.

A. Nature preschools are a special kind of early childhood program—rooted in both child development best practices and a deep commitment to the natural world. At Denver Audubon Nature Preschool, we believe that children thrive when they have the time and space to explore, play, and discover outdoors. The natural world becomes our classroom, offering endless opportunities for children to grow socially, emotionally, physically, and intellectually.

A growing body of research confirms that regular time in nature supports all areas of development—from creativity and problem-solving to empathy and resilience. Nature preschools like ours share the same developmental goals as traditional programs, but we achieve them through hands-on, immersive experiences in the outdoors. In addition to preparing children for success in school and life, we also foster a lifelong connection to the Earth.

Early childhood is a critical window for developing care and concern for the natural world. Studies show that environmental stewardship is rooted in early, unstructured play in wild settings. By nurturing this connection from the very beginning, we help children build a strong sense of place, confidence, curiosity, and the foundational values of environmental responsibility.

If you want your child to spend their days joyfully exploring, asking questions, climbing logs, splashing in puddles, and learning through meaningful play—then a nature preschool might be the perfect fit.

A. Yes—absolutely. At Denver Audubon Nature Preschool, we thoughtfully prepare children for Kindergarten by nurturing the foundational skills they need to thrive in school and beyond. While we do not use worksheets and desks, our nature-based, play-centered approach is backed by decades of research in early childhood development and learning science.

In our program, children build strong pre-academic skills through hands-on, meaningful experiences. They practice early literacy by telling stories, asking questions, and labeling discoveries on hikes. They explore math concepts by counting pinecones, building structures, and measuring puddles. They develop science thinking by observing seasonal changes, experimenting with natural materials, and asking “why.”

Just as importantly, we help children grow in social-emotional skills like self-regulation, problem-solving, cooperation, and persistence—skills that are essential for a successful transition to Kindergarten.

Our guides are highly trained in developmentally appropriate practice and the Colorado Early Learning and Development Guidelines. We ensure that your child enters Kindergarten not just ready to learn, but excited to learn—confident, curious, and capable.

A. Children will spend almost the entire program time outdoors, except in the event of lightning or extreme weather, in which case we will retreat indoors to the Nature Center.

A. We are licensed by the Colorado Department of Early Childhood as a fully outdoor, nature-based preschool.

This license type was established by state law in 2024 (SB24-078), which created outdoor nature-based preschool programs as a recognized type of licensed child care center. Families can verify our status anytime on Colorado Shines by searching our program name or address.

Licensing means the state verified the following before we opened, and continues to verify it:

• Background checks. Every staff member clears fingerprint-based FBI and Colorado Bureau of Investigation checks, the state child abuse and neglect registry, and equivalent checks in any state they have lived in during the past five years. All of this is completed before a person works with children.
• Verified qualifications. Our Guides meet state early childhood requirements, plus additional outdoor education coursework and training on our own site-specific safety plans.
• Medical training. At least one Guide with each group holds current CPR/First Aid and medication administration training with nurse delegation.
• Set ratios. Staff-to-child ratios are established by rule rather than by us, and some activities require more adults than others. Any activity in or near water requires one adult for every four children.
• Reviewed safety plans. Before we could open, a licensing specialist walked our site and reviewed and approved our land use agreement, our site-specific risk mitigation plan, our benefit-risk assessments for activities like tree climbing and tool use, and our written procedures for severe weather, wildlife, and emergency evacuation.
• Ongoing oversight. We are inspected, we are subject to complaint investigation, and our inspection history is public

Licensing does not make the program less wild. It means the risks children take here are ones we have assessed, documented, and trained for. 

A. Not for the 2027–2028 school year. DANP is a very small program, and we depend on full enrollment and predictable tuition to pay our educators and keep our program running. UPK’s enrollment and payment timelines don’t yet give us that stability. This means UPK funding can’t be applied to DANP tuition next year. If UPK is important to your family, you can apply at upk.colorado.gov. We’ll revisit this decision each year to determine if we will be able to participate. 

A. No. DANP is a mixed-age program, and children ages 3 through 6 learn together in the same group. This is a deliberate part of our approach. Younger children stretch toward more complex play by watching and working alongside older children.

Older children practice explaining, leading, and caring for others, which deepens their own learning. Because children are not sorted by age, our Guides observe and plan for each child individually rather than measuring everyone against a single expectation for their age.

The age makeup of a group depends on who enrolls in a given year and can shift if families join or leave. We work toward age-balanced groups, but the mix is not guaranteed and a group may skew younger or older in any given year. A child's place in the group also changes over time. The three-year-old watching from the edge of the creek in September may be the one showing a new friend how to cross it two years later.

A. The program aims to strike a healthy balance between predictable daily routines, group activities, teacher-led lessons, and plenty of time for open-ended nature play and exploration.

A. We don’t, at least for now. After a full day of climbing, exploring, and learning outdoors, children are happily tired—and we believe the healthiest next step is to head home, refuel, and rest with their families. Should our schedule expand in the future, we’ll be sure to let families know.

A. At Denver Audubon Nature Preschool, we believe strong communication with families is key to supporting your child’s growth. You’ll receive regular updates through:

• Brightwheel, where we share stories, photos, and highlights from the week
• Informal check-ins with your child’s guide, available by phone or email
• Two formal parent-guide conferences each year (winter and spring) to discuss your child’s development, interests, and progress
• Ongoing communication, especially if your child is facing challenges or reaching milestones we want to celebrate with you

Our guides are skilled observers who document learning through play and exploration. While we don’t send home grades or worksheets, you’ll gain a rich understanding of your child’s growth—socially, emotionally, and academically—through the stories we share and the relationships we build with your family.

A. We use brightwheel, a simple, secure family app, for both daily communication and tuition billing.

• Easy, secure payments each month through the app
• Safe check-in/out at drop-off and pick-up (QR/PIN)
• Stay connected with daily photos, short videos, and notes from your child’s day

A. Yes, children must be fully toilet trained to attend Denver Audubon Nature Preschool. 

We define "fully toilet trained" as a child who can: 

• wear underpants (not pull-ups)
• communicate the need to use the bathroom
• manage toileting tasks independently—including wiping, flushing, and washing hands.

We understand that occasional accidents can happen, and we always respond with care and compassion. However, due to the outdoor nature of our program and the structure of our daily routines, our staff are not able to provide one-on-one bathroom assistance or monitor for non-verbal cues.

This policy helps us maintain a safe and clean environment for all children and allows our guides to focus on supporting the group’s learning and exploration. 

A. We're so glad you asked! There are two great ways to get involved:

• Volunteer. We welcome volunteers who love nature, children, and the outdoors. [LINK TO VOLUNTEER SIGN-UP]
• Shop our SoKind Registry. We've created a wishlist where every item can be donated used, found secondhand, or pulled from your own basement — no new purchases necessary. Check the list, keep an eye out at thrift stores and garage sales, and drop anything you find at Kingery Nature Center during open hours. [LINK TO REGISTRY]

We also have affiliate partnerships with Mabel's Labels and Oaki — click each link to find our exclusive shopping codes. When you shop through those codes, you can save a little (with Oaki) and DANP earns a small commission at no extra cost to you.

Thank you for helping us get started!