About
Two Pines Forest School offers daily activities such as child-directed play, storytelling, nature-based art, immersive science, planting and gardening, and nature conservation projects. Children explore the forest through nature play, wildlife tracking, bird watching, shelter building, tree and plant identification, survival skills, woodworking and craft, music, and free style dance. The program also includes simple yoga, breath work, meditation, and time in a Maker's Space as a daily space designated to engage in artistic process, and it offers several weeks of summer camp during the summer break.
• Ages: 2–6 years old
• Schedule: Semester-based fall, winter, and spring program running Monday to Thursday from 8:30 AM to 1 PM, with two-day or four-day weekly options and after care available until 4 PM
• Price: Sliding scale tuition from $22 to $30 per hour ($1,782 to $2,430 monthly for four days a week; $891 to $1,215 monthly for two days a week), with after care at $14 per hour
Two Pines Forest School is led by co-founders and Forest School Practitioners Behnaz Khaleghi and Baharak Khaleghi, who have been working with young children since 2015 and have 8+ and 10+ years of experience with children, respectively. Their backgrounds include Bachelor of Science and Master of Fine Art degrees, Early Childhood Education Certification from The State University of New York, Forest School Certificated Teacher credentials from the Forest School Teacher Institute, Certified SEL (Social-Emotional Learning) Facilitator training from Breath for Change, Wilderness First Aid certification from NOLS, and CPR/AED, Standard First Aid, and Blood-borne Pathogens (BLS) certification from the American CPR Care Association. One co-founder is also a Certified Yoga Teacher through Breath for Change. Educators are required to stay up to date on CPR and First Aid certification, have a negative TB test, pass a background check, and have COVID-19 vaccination, and they participate in professional development and training throughout the school year.
The program states that class is 100% outdoors except in extreme weather conditions and that nature is the main teacher with learning as a process-based experience. Two Pines Forest School has two class groups, each with up to four children ages 2–6 years old, and emphasizes caring for themselves, each other, and the Earth and its living creatures, with nature’s resources used as tools for play instead of commercial toys. The program includes nap or rest time after lunch with stories and quiet time, uses portable toilets and packs out solid waste when out in nature, and aims to inform families about indoor days the night before or by 7:30 AM when same-day decisions are needed. Enrolled families connect through a WhatsApp group, and there is a 5% sibling discount for siblings in the same program, with summer camp priority given to current and previous students. Two Pines Forest School follows all Community Care Licensing Division regulations that can be applied to its setting while being licensing exempt by the state and stays current with information from the California Association of Forest Schools.
Families are asked to send children dressed for the weather in layers and sturdy closed-toed shoes, with well-fitted, water-resistant gear on rainy or water play days. Each child’s backpack should include a filled water bottle, yoga mat, sunscreen (applied before school, with teachers able to reapply), a placemat or cloth for meals, a hearty snack and lunch, a hand towel, a full set of extra clothing in a sealed bag, optional gardening gloves, a hat for sun, warmth, or rain, a magnifier, a treasure bag with a zipper for collecting small nature items, and 2–3 side-opening diapers with a small bag of wipes if needed.
A parent testimonial from Alana Mehmandoust, mother of a 2-year-old enrolled child, describes daily experiences at Two Pines Forest School, the teachers’ approach, the child’s eagerness to attend, and the child’s comfort outdoors in different weather conditions.
Last updated March 16, 2026.
• Ages: 2–6 years old
• Schedule: Semester-based fall, winter, and spring program running Monday to Thursday from 8:30 AM to 1 PM, with two-day or four-day weekly options and after care available until 4 PM
• Price: Sliding scale tuition from $22 to $30 per hour ($1,782 to $2,430 monthly for four days a week; $891 to $1,215 monthly for two days a week), with after care at $14 per hour
Two Pines Forest School is led by co-founders and Forest School Practitioners Behnaz Khaleghi and Baharak Khaleghi, who have been working with young children since 2015 and have 8+ and 10+ years of experience with children, respectively. Their backgrounds include Bachelor of Science and Master of Fine Art degrees, Early Childhood Education Certification from The State University of New York, Forest School Certificated Teacher credentials from the Forest School Teacher Institute, Certified SEL (Social-Emotional Learning) Facilitator training from Breath for Change, Wilderness First Aid certification from NOLS, and CPR/AED, Standard First Aid, and Blood-borne Pathogens (BLS) certification from the American CPR Care Association. One co-founder is also a Certified Yoga Teacher through Breath for Change. Educators are required to stay up to date on CPR and First Aid certification, have a negative TB test, pass a background check, and have COVID-19 vaccination, and they participate in professional development and training throughout the school year.
The program states that class is 100% outdoors except in extreme weather conditions and that nature is the main teacher with learning as a process-based experience. Two Pines Forest School has two class groups, each with up to four children ages 2–6 years old, and emphasizes caring for themselves, each other, and the Earth and its living creatures, with nature’s resources used as tools for play instead of commercial toys. The program includes nap or rest time after lunch with stories and quiet time, uses portable toilets and packs out solid waste when out in nature, and aims to inform families about indoor days the night before or by 7:30 AM when same-day decisions are needed. Enrolled families connect through a WhatsApp group, and there is a 5% sibling discount for siblings in the same program, with summer camp priority given to current and previous students. Two Pines Forest School follows all Community Care Licensing Division regulations that can be applied to its setting while being licensing exempt by the state and stays current with information from the California Association of Forest Schools.
Families are asked to send children dressed for the weather in layers and sturdy closed-toed shoes, with well-fitted, water-resistant gear on rainy or water play days. Each child’s backpack should include a filled water bottle, yoga mat, sunscreen (applied before school, with teachers able to reapply), a placemat or cloth for meals, a hearty snack and lunch, a hand towel, a full set of extra clothing in a sealed bag, optional gardening gloves, a hat for sun, warmth, or rain, a magnifier, a treasure bag with a zipper for collecting small nature items, and 2–3 side-opening diapers with a small bag of wipes if needed.
A parent testimonial from Alana Mehmandoust, mother of a 2-year-old enrolled child, describes daily experiences at Two Pines Forest School, the teachers’ approach, the child’s eagerness to attend, and the child’s comfort outdoors in different weather conditions.
Last updated March 16, 2026.
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