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Tiny Trees Preschool

We use outdoor classrooms in city parks to make a high quality preschool education accessible for all families.

Tiny Trees Preschool gives children a quality education and a joyful, nature rich childhood. By creating vibrant, outdoor classrooms in Seattle, King County parks, Tiny Trees eliminates the cost of a brick and mortar facility and invests in what really matters: empowering great teachers.

HundrED 2019
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Overview

HundrED has selected this innovation to

HundrED 2019

2015

Established

315

Children

1

Countries
Updated
February 2018
Tiny Trees gives children a vibrant, mud puddle splashing, sand castle building, & creepy crawly catching childhood.

About the innovation

From Acorns to Oaks

In October of 2014 Tiny Trees Preschool won Social Venture Partners’ Fast Pitch competition for best non-profit start up. At the time, the dream of affordable, nature rich, outdoor preschool was just that – a dream. It became a reality in September 2016, when Tiny Trees opened preschools in four city parks in low income neighborhoods across Seattle, followed by 3 more schools in September, 2017. Now every day, in all weather, more than 300 children attend joyfully muddy classes, learning the social, emotional, and academic skills for a lifetime of success while enjoying a glorious childhood: one full of play, adventure, and wonder in the natural world.

Tiny Trees gives children a vibrant, mud puddle splashing, sand castle building, & creepy crawly catching childhood: one full of hands-on learning, exploration, and wonder in the natural world. Our children have inherited a planet facing significant ecological challenges and their generation will need capable, emotionally intelligent, and creative conservation leaders. Tiny Trees Preschool presents a solution – daily, intimate exploration of the natural world by children from diverse backgrounds during their most formative years.

Impact & scalability

Impact & Scalability

Innovativeness

Preschool can be very expensive and create a great financial burden on parents. Outdoor learning facilities can also be an expensive option. Tiny Trees Preschool is affordable. 10 Tiny Trees Preschools can be created for the price of one brick and mortar preschool.

Impact

Assessment scores equal to or exceeding state expectations. Take a look at our research study: https://tinytrees.org/2017/10/17/how-safe-are-outdoor-preschools-results-from-a-uw-study/

Scalability

In 2 years, scaled to 12 locations around Seattle.

Spread of the innovation

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