Forest school emerged because the initial founders were inspired by the world around them. These schools persist because research shows that our early childhood educational experience are stifling and can damage  children's overall well-being academically and emotionally. Forest schools do more than offer and an alternative option for students: they rescue children from an educational path that leads to poorer outcomes.

Gretchen Ferguson lives in Asheville, NC and has three kids and 3 dogs. During the day she is a reading specialist at a local school and also runs a local composting service.