jessica curto

Director of Wren’s Nest

Pronouns: she/her

While being a director is a new role for me, I have over a decade of experience working in the fields of Early Childhood Education, social services, and nonprofits. Prior to entering the field of outdoor education, I taught preschool in a therapeutic classroom where I supported children with developmental delays and childhood trauma. While working in this setting I noticed that the children faced many challenges inside the confines of the classroom, but they thrived in an outdoor setting. This inspired me to pursue a longtime dream of mine and become a forest kindergarten teacher.

In 2019, I completed my Forest Kindergarten Teacher Certification with the Cedarsong Way in Maple Valley, WA and began teaching at a forest school in Bend, OR. In 2021, I earned my M.Ed with a concentration in Nature-based Education and a Certificate in Trauma-informed teaching from Antioch University New England. I am incredibly passionate about the forest school pedagogy and connecting children to the natural world. After moving to Vermont, I taught for two years in nature-based programs but felt myself longing to return to the forest school setting and step into a leadership role.

Giving back to the community I live in is very important to me. In my spare time, I volunteer with the Chill Foundation, supporting and empowering youth to face challenges as they learn how to skateboard and snowboard. I also volunteer as a Board of Directors with the American Forest Kindergarten Association and serve as the Community Building & Outreach Committee chairperson.

When I am not working or volunteering, I try to spend as much time outside as possible. Some of my hobbies are surfing, snowboarding, skateboarding, foraging, hiking, and camping. I am an avid gardener and enjoy tending to my two community garden plots in Burlington, where I live with my husband.