About
Berkeley Forest School is a program that grew from the love and imagination of founder Liana Chavarín, with a focus on uniting families in community with the shared earth. The program stands on the shoulders of Ohlone ancestors and place-based practitioners, community earth-workers, healers, storytellers, and teachers in the Bay Area and beyond.
Berkeley Forest School’s program began in 2011. Founder and director Liana Chavarín has been teaching outdoors and learning alongside preschoolers in Oakland and Berkeley since 2005. The mission of Berkeley Forest School is to instigate a culture of active citizens to live in relationship with the land and with awareness of the global community, honoring the innate connection people have with the earth. The program facilitates a deeper understanding of local ecology and community-learning through place-based education, inviting children and their families to establish an ongoing relationship with the world they share and those they share it with.
Berkeley Forest School works with over 100 Bay Area families in its combined programs, and 65% of these families utilize a tuition equity fund. The founder works to negate obstacles such as tuition costs, transportation, knowledge of winter gear, the unaffordable cost of gear, and the time and money it takes to launder clothing for families who would otherwise not be able to participate. The organization states that 100% of families benefit from a stronger relationship with the land and with each other, and it aims to increase access to forest school teacher training programs for teachers who currently do not have those opportunities available to them. A guiding belief of the program is expressed in the statement, “All families who seek compassion-based community education should have equal access to it,” attributed to founder and director Liana Chavarín.
Last updated June 21, 2026.
Berkeley Forest School’s program began in 2011. Founder and director Liana Chavarín has been teaching outdoors and learning alongside preschoolers in Oakland and Berkeley since 2005. The mission of Berkeley Forest School is to instigate a culture of active citizens to live in relationship with the land and with awareness of the global community, honoring the innate connection people have with the earth. The program facilitates a deeper understanding of local ecology and community-learning through place-based education, inviting children and their families to establish an ongoing relationship with the world they share and those they share it with.
Berkeley Forest School works with over 100 Bay Area families in its combined programs, and 65% of these families utilize a tuition equity fund. The founder works to negate obstacles such as tuition costs, transportation, knowledge of winter gear, the unaffordable cost of gear, and the time and money it takes to launder clothing for families who would otherwise not be able to participate. The organization states that 100% of families benefit from a stronger relationship with the land and with each other, and it aims to increase access to forest school teacher training programs for teachers who currently do not have those opportunities available to them. A guiding belief of the program is expressed in the statement, “All families who seek compassion-based community education should have equal access to it,” attributed to founder and director Liana Chavarín.
Last updated June 21, 2026.
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