At Nurtured Oak Nature School, we offer a bilingual, outdoor-based enrichment program designed to foster connection, curiosity, and confidence through nature immersion. While we are not a traditional licensed school, we operate as a nature enrichment program, supporting families who value hands-on, play-based learning in natural settings.

The roots of “Forest School” trace back to Scandinavia, specifically Denmark in the 1950s, where parents began gathering their children in nearby forests for informal daycare experiences. By the 1980s, the concept became part of Denmark’s Early Years education, especially for preschoolers, and soon spread to Sweden. In the 1990s, the Forest School approach was introduced to the UK, and later to Canada in 2007. Today, this approach continues to grow across the U.S., including right here in San Diego.

Though Nurtured Oak is not a licensed child care facility, we uphold many of the same safety standards you would find in a licensed setting. This includes maintaining small group sizes for individual attention and close supervision, carrying Pediatric & Wilderness First Aid and CPR certifications, conducting thorough risk assessments of our play areas, and having clear safety procedures and emergency plans in place. We take your child’s well-being seriously and strive to create a nurturing, secure environment where children can safely explore and thrive.

Many homeschooling families choose our program as a way to enrich their children’s learning experience. Nurtured Oak provides opportunities for children to engage in meaningful social connections, build friendships, and experience hands-on, nature-based learning that complements home education beautifully.

At Nurtured Oak, we honor the roots of Forest School philosophy while shaping our own unique blend of nature-based learning, early childhood education, and Spanish language immersion. Children are given the time, space, and freedom to grow wild and whole—guided by the rhythms of the land and the wisdom of play.