Habitat Nature Preschool
What could be more magical than a preschool where each child's innate connection to nature is celebrated? At Mass Audubon's Habitat Nature Preschool, children learn through hands-on nature-based experiences that address the developmental needs of children ages 3-5.
Preschoolers explore the varied habitats at the sanctuary, including forests, ponds, and meadows across the 88-acre wildlife sanctuary. Give your child a fun, unique, and adventurous learning experience that will last a lifetime.
Nature Preschool Activities
Our nature preschool program provides ample opportunities for indoor and outdoor play—both structured and unstructured—to develop cognitive, physical, social, and emotional growth in each child.
A sense of self and community is created through cooperative experiences and shared discoveries. Through outdoor adventures, art and cooking activities, books, music, and movement, children learn emergent math, science, and literacy skills as they investigate stimulating natural history topics.
Outdoor Exploration
Investigating the forests, meadows, ponds, and gardens encourages emotional connections to the land, promotes physical development, and fosters a sense of discovery. Children learn to identify plants, flowers and wildlife while developing a long-lasting respect and care for the sanctuary and the natural world.
Nature Play
Children have the opportunity to play, use their imagination, and interact with one another while exploring the changing landscape and various habitats around the sanctuary during all seasons.
Make Meaningful Connections with Animals
We are fortunate to be able to provide a variety of authentic opportunities for children to share meaningful connections with animals. On a regular basis, we visit the resident goats, welcome a wildlife ambassador from Mass Audubon’s Wildlife Care Center at Drumlin Farm, discover wildlife like turtles and frogs by the pond, and observe wildlife like deer and birds in the forest.
Photos from Nature Preschool
Quality Teachers & Small Class Size
Each class is taught by highly qualified early childhood educators licensed by the MA Department of Early Education and Care. Our class size is 10 students with two teachers, giving a teacher-to-child ratio of 1:5.
Apply for the 2025-2026 Preschool Year
Habitat Nature Preschool is currently full for 2025-2026. To join the waitlist, fill out our application
Mass Audubon members enjoy benefits like free admission to wildlife sanctuaries, discounts on programs and shop items, and access to community programs like Habitat Nature Preschool. All families who have children enrolled are required to have a current Mass Audubon family membership level (or higher) by the start of the school year in September.
2-Day Preschool Program ($7,258/year)
Tuesdays & Thursdays, 9:00 am-1:00 pm
Prospective students should be at least 3 years old by September 1, 2025.
The preschool year runs September through mid-June; specific start and end dates, holidays, and vacation week schedules are provided in our Family Handbook, which is made available the summer before school starts. It is possible to join the program mid-year if space is available, and prices will be prorated accordingly.
How to Enroll
First, fill out our enrollment application. You will receive an auto-generated message immediately after completing the form confirming that your application has been received.
Each family will receive an email with their child’s enrollment status within a week of applying. At this time, you will be notified as to whether your child has a space in our program or is on our waitlist. Waitlisted families will be notified if a space becomes available.
Enrollment priority is given to currently enrolled returning children and their younger siblings. Then, to our alumni families. Additionally, as we continue toward our goal of making our programs accessible to all, some programs may employ additional prioritization tools or status for underserved communities. All returning or alumni families must apply or re-apply for each child enrolling.
Financial Assistance
Financial assistance is available through our scholarship fund and is based on economic need and available funds.
Tour Habitat & Meet Preschool Teachers
Due to the uniqueness of our nature program, all applicant families must attend either an in-person tour or a virtual open house. During in-person tours, we will spend some time in our indoor classroom, outside in our outdoor play-spaces, and learning more about our preschool.
Thursday, February 13, 1:30-2:00 pm
Tuesday, March 11, 3:00-3:30pm
Friday, March 28, 1:30-2:00 pm
Tuesday, April 8, 1:30-2:00 pm
Friday, April 18, 3:00-3:30 pm
Tuesday, May 6, 3:30-4:00 pm
Friday, May 16, 1:30-2:00 pm
If you wish to take a tour after these dates, please call or email us to schedule a visit.
Virtual Open House
Join us from the comfort of your own home for an evening focused on learning more about our preschool program. Our virtual open houses include a presentation, opportunities to hear from our faculty, see our program in action through photos and videos, and understand more about our philosophy and daily schedule. We will conclude our time with a Q&A session.
Monday, March 3, 1:30-2:30 pm
Thursday, April 3, 8:00-9:00 pm
Tuesday, May 13, 1:30-2:30 pm
Contact Us
If you would like to learn more about the Habitat Nature Preschool, you can email us or call 617-207-2160.