ALNC UPDATES

Our facility, including Aldo Leopold Nature Preschool, will be closed today,
Friday, March 10th, due to the winter storm.

As always, you’re invited to hike our trails, which are open daily from dawn until dusk.

Welcome! Our facility is open on weekdays from 9am to 4pm and on weekends from 10am to 2pm.

Wearing a face mask indoors is optional. Because we are a childcare facility and follow public health protocols, we have limited access to some public offerings and areas of our facility. We appreciate your patience as we work to find a healthy balance of access and safety for our community.

As always, our grounds and trails featuring self-guided tours are free and open daily from dawn until dusk.

Aldo Leopold Nature Preschool

GROW YOUR CHILD’S CONNECTION TO NATURE.

Aldo Leopold Nature Preschool is a program of ALNC and shares our mission to engage and educate, current and future generations, empowering them to respect, protect, and enjoy the natural world. Designed for children ages 3 to 5, Aldo Leopold Nature Preschool (ALNP) provides outdoor and indoor environments rich in hands-on materials, literature, and open-ended play time, which encourage wonder, discovery, experimentation, invention, creation, and the opportunity to see the results of one’s actions.

ALNP Frequently Asked Questions
 

We deeply value diversity and inclusion across our programs. ALNP now accepts Wisconsin Shares, offers monthly tuition rates on a sliding scale, and tuition assistance for families in need. Families of ALL abilities, backgrounds, communities, income-levels, neighborhoods, and other societal structures are encouraged to enroll at Aldo Leopold Nature Preschool. Families experiencing economic hardship and/or who speak English as a second language are strongly encouraged to apply.

WEIGHTED-LOTTERY ENROLLMENT OPEN MARCH 1ST TO MARCH 15TH

Add your child’s name to the Nature Preschool lottery
 

Curious about our enrollment process? Learn more here. Please direct questions regarding Aldo Leopold Nature Preschool to Aldo Leopold Nature Preschool Director, Courtney Woods.

For information how we are adapting Aldo Leopold Nature Preschool to ensure the safety of our students, their families and our staff, please review our COVID-19 Policies

Looking for our parent-child program for preschool-aged children? Check out Wonder Bugs!

Para español, desplácese hacia abajo.

 

A Day in the Life of an Aldo Leopold Nature Preschooler

Explore the world of Aldo Leopold Nature Preschool with this short video highlighting the outdoor education and fun the Nature Preschoolers have experienced this semester.

 

Not quite ready for Nature Preschool? Explore Nature Beginnings, our weekly program for children with little to no previous preschool experience.

 

WHAT DAYS & TIMES DO YOU OFFER NATURE PRESCHOOL?

We have several class offerings: Monday thru Friday mornings, Tuesday thru Friday afternoons, and Monday thru Friday full day. We also have a program called Nature Beginnings that meets one day a week (on either Mondays or Fridays).

Days of the Week Times
M thru F – Morning        8:30 am to 11:30 am
Tues thru Fri – Afternoon        12:30 pm to 3:30 pm
Mon thru Fri – Full Day        8 am to 3:30 pm
Before Care Begins at 7:30 am for full-day students
After Care Begins at 3:35 pm for full-day students; pick-up by 5:30 pm

 

2023/2024 Aldo Leopold Nature Preschool Calendar

 

HOW DO YOU ENROLL & WHEN?

Enrollment interest opens on March 1st for new families for the 2023/2024 school year. A link will be posted on this page, where you will be prompted to enter your child’s information and pay a registration fee. This does not guarantee your child a spot, but rather puts their name into our lottery system. You will be asked to rank your preferences for programs (e.g. First preference is full day, second preference is M thru F morning). Please note that our registration process is NOT first-come, first-serve and families have two weeks to register their interest, after which names will be placed into a lottery and pulled to create balanced classes.

Enrollment closes on March 15th and the preschool director notifies families of child’s class placement shortly thereafter (usually by the end of the week). You’ll receive an email with either a registration offering or notification of waitlist placement. You may choose to accept or decline the spot for your child. We do our best to give everyone their first choice for classes, but it doesn’t always work out!
 
More information about Nature Preschool Enrollment can be found here.

 

HOW MUCH DOES IT COST?

Monthly tuition is based on a sliding scale. We accept Wisconsin Shares and tuition assistance is available for families in need. Our Wisconsin Shares FIS Provider ID is E282293. Please reach out to our Preschool Director via email or phone with any questions.
 
Tuition rates for the 2023/2024 school year.

 

WHO SHOULD ENROLL?

Children…

  • Who will be 3 years of age (but not yet 5) as of September 1st
  • Who will be potty-trained as of September 1st
  • From ALL backgrounds
  • Of ALL communities

ALNC reserves the right to hold space for families in financial need and/or who speak English as a second language.

 

MEET THE EDUCATORS!

Learn about the staff at Aldo Leopold Nature Preschool.

 
Please review our Aldo Leopold Nature Preschool Family Handbook prior to dropping your child off for their first day of nature preschool. Children must be three years of age by September 1st to attend.
 
 
 
 
 

Currently enrolled in Aldo Leopold Nature Preschool?

Access your current registration below.

 
 

Please direct questions regarding the Aldo Leopold Nature Preschool to
Aldo Leopold Nature Preschool Director, Courtney Woods
.

If you would like to be added to the nature preschool mailing list, please click here.

 

 

¡Ahora abierto!

Aldo Leopold Preescolar Natural es un programa de ALNC (Aldo Leopold Centro Natural) y comparte nuestra misión de involucrar y educar a las generaciones actuales y futuras, permitiéndoles respetar, proteger y disfrutar del mundo natural.

Aldo Leopold Preescolar Natural proveerá en los dos ambientes tanto adentro como afuera ricos en materiales prácticos, literatura y tiempo de juego abierto que fomentan la maravilla, el descubrimiento, la experimentación, la invención, la creación y la oportunidad de ver los resultados de las acciones de uno.

Revise su bandeja de entrada o comuníquese con la Sra. Courtney para obtener más información.

Si está en nuestra lista de correo de preescolar de Nature, busque un correo electrónico con información adicional pronto. Si desea ser agregado a la lista de correo preescolar, envíe un correo electrónico a cara@aldoleopoldnaturecenter.org.

 

Aldo Leopold Nature Center