Wren's Nest Forest Preschool

The fall 2025/2026 Applications will be available in late January. If you would like to be notified when it goes live, or would like to join our waiting list for future years, please fill out this form: Wren’s Nest Waiting List

Children must be age 3 by September 1st, 2025 to join our fall class.

Wren’s Nest enrolls children ages 3-5 for full days 8:00 AM to 2:30 PM, with an option of extended programming from 2:30-4:30 daily. Children are encouraged to enroll for a minimum of two days per week, but we offer spots for three, four, and five days as well.

Priority enrollment will be given to returning students, siblings of alumni, low income families, and Bristol residents. Once we fill our priority spots, enrollment will be based on how long a child has been on our waiting list, family scheduling requests, the availability of the spaces we have, as well as the age and fit of your child with the program.

Tuition Rates:

Overview

Wren’s Nest is a fully licensed, 5 STAR, forest preschool for children age 3-5. Students at Wren’s Nest learn by interacting with the natural world, and the program is (almost) fully outdoors through all weather. For most of the year children are dropped off outdoor, have snack, rest, and pick up— through all weather. We are located just outside Bristol in a wooded classroom overlooking a meadow and wetland, nine miles North of Middlebury.

Wren’s Nest runs Mondays through Fridays, following the MAUSD school calendar in terms of vacations, summers off, and inclement weather closings.

Wren’s Nest Preschool admits students and families of all socioeconomic status, race, ethnicity, religion, gender, sexual orientation, nationality, and disability. Preference enrollment is given to families with financial need.

DETAILS

The Wren’s Nest teachers are outdoor educators whose teaching styles are flexible and creative, allowing them to nimbly adjust plans to suit the evolving needs of the students and the changing Vermont seasons. Their curriculum depends less on rigid structure or rote learning, but more on independent exploration—allowing each child to engage with their natural environment through play with the guidance of skilled instructors.

Wren’s Nest is a holistic, interdisciplinary, and sensory-based approach to learning, and a companion program to Willowell’s nationally-recognized outdoor high school program, The Walden Project. It is our goal at Wren’s Nest to foster students’ independence and an understanding of their interconnectedness with the whole world. Children come away with a deep level of comfort and love for the land they play and learn on. Above all, Wren’s Nest creates a space for children to cultivate their natural sense of awe and wonder.

The program incorporates specific themes rooted in the changing bounty of the land and the seasons. Areas of study include learning about wild plants, fire building, animal tracking, building shelters, sensory awareness, ornithology, singing, movements, gardening, drawing, indoor and outdoor cooking, scavenger hunts, storytelling, special guests, and an age-appropriate seasonal celebration.

APPLICATION PROCESS

The 2025/2026 online application will be coming soon (by the end of January). Stay tuned and join our waiting list to be notified when it we begin accepting applications. We will accept applications throughout February, and decisions will be made in early March, at which point we will send contracts and ask for deposits by early April, 2025.

Need help with filling out the online registration or require a paper copy? Please reach out: 802-453-6195 info@willowell.org we’re happy to help!

PAYMENT

Children who will be aged 3 or 4 by September 1, 2024 and who are enrolled for at least 2 full days per week are eligible to receive state preschool funding towards 10 hours/week of preschool tuition. Additional tuition costs are the responsibility of the family/guardian (see rates above).

Wren’s Nest is a Pre Kindergarten partner. We have licensed teachers, our curriculum aligns with the Vermont Early Education Standards (VELS), and we record documentation for children using Teaching Strategies Gold. These three components were established by the Vermont Agency of Education (AOE) for participating partners.

For information about state subsidy for income-eligible families click here: Child Care Financial Assistance.

Email info@willowell.org for more information or call 802-453-6195

CLASS TIMES

Monday-Friday
8:00 AM - 2:30 PM

Extended Programming

2:30-4:30 PM

LOCATION

508 Harvey Rd.

Bristol, VT

Phone numbers

Wren’s Nest: 802-453-2657

Willowell office: 802-453-6195