Friends Neighborhood Nature School

Friends Neighborhood Nature School is an independent, non-profit nursery school and camp with a play-based preschool program. The program offers a mixed-aged classroom environment where students cooperate and learn together. Learning is hands-on, creative, often muddy and messy, and takes place with a focus on nature-based education, outdoor learning, and play, with plenty of time outside.

• Ages: 2½–5 years old

Friends Neighborhood Nature School’s mission is to transform the lives of young children by providing an inclusive, enriching, play-based education that nurtures the inquiry, independence, and social and emotional well-being of children ages 2½ through 5 years old. The curriculum uses the natural world to celebrate the individuality of each student while fostering a community of learners and is guided by the Quaker testimonies of integrity, peace, equality, simplicity, stewardship, and community. The school describes itself as a small, supportive, inclusive, play-based learning community with invitations for inquiry and opportunities to lead.

Faculty at Friends Neighborhood Nature School participate in ongoing professional development and community-based initiatives focused on nature-based education, outdoor learning, and play. The school is sponsored by the Ridgewood Quaker Meeting and is a member of the Friends Council on Education and the professional association ANBE, aligning with ANBE’s mission to make nature-based education and environmental literacy equitable and accessible to all children. A Friends Committee, made up of current and alumni parents, was formed in 2021 to usher the school into its next era of serving children and the community.

Last updated July 6, 2026.