Nature Preschool
Nature abounds with opportunities for our earliest learners at
The Howard County Conservancy Nature Preschool
Serving children ages 3 – 5 in mixed age group settings
School Year 2026 -2027
Tuition covers enrollment from
August 31, 2026 to August 13, 2027
The Nature Preschool is enrolling for the 26-27 school year from our waitlist
Families are invited to complete our interest form to join our waitlist, receive future information about enrollment opportunities and Nature Preschool events. Our waitlist covers current and future school years so we encourage families to apply today!
Full – Day 2026 – 2027
Monday – Friday | 8:30 AM – 3:30 PM | $1,400 monthly
Aftercare (optional) | 3:30 PM – 5:00 PM M-Th, 3:30 PM – 4:00 PM Fri | $250 monthly
Interested in visiting our school?
Please join us for our spring Open House on April 26, 2026 from 11am-1pm
Our Education Philosophy
- The Conservancy’s nature preschool encourages a connection to nature with our earliest learners and supports a holistic approach to child development.
- Our curriculum supports socio-emotional development, artistic expression, early literacy and language skills. Nature abounds with opportunities to explore environmental sciences, mathematics and engineering through sensorial experiences and hands-on learning.
- Our nature-based, emergent curriculum is thoughtfully designed to prepare children for kindergarten. Through daily exploration, play, and a curriculum that centers the active interests of the students, we foster a life-time of curiosity and deep love for learning.
LEARN MORE ABOUT OUR CURRICULUM HERE
Our Goals and Practices
- We strive to spend at least 50% of the day outdoors. Our staff is ready to embrace all weather and help children do the same.
- Natural materials are used for our crafts and play.
- We model sustainable practices by composting, recycling, encouraging trash free lunches and limiting single-use plastics.
- Families are an important part of our preschool community and family participation programs are held throughout the year.
- Our program participates in Maryland EXCELS, the state’s quality rating improvement system for licensed early education programs. Our Program holds an EXCELS rating at level 2.
Our Facility
Belmont Manor and Historic Park
6553 Belmont Woods Road, Elkridge, MD
- We are located within a county park, bordering thousands of acres of state park.
- Onsite animal friends include a terrapin and a corn snake.
- Our facility features three interactive classrooms, two indoor and one outdoor. We also enjoy our natural play area that includes climbing log, musical fence, play house, “nature store” and more!
- Our students explore various landscapes throughout the year, including meadows, streams, forests and gardens.
Want to learn more?
Scholarships
Need Based Scholarships
All children should be able to explore and learn from the natural world. Limited scholarship spaces are available for families demonstrating financial need. Currently, scholarships cover 50- 100% of costs for the school year, based on need. We hope to award two scholarships.
MD Child Care Scholarships
As a licensed child care provider participanting in the Maryland EXCELS program, we are eligible to accept Child Care Scholarship vouchers through the state of Maryland. More Information can be found by following the link below.
Nature Preschool in the News
Nature Preschool Featured on
Outdoors Maryland!
See our little naturalists in action as they investigate the cicada life cycle and create nature inspired art! From “Outdoors Maryland” episode 3302 (coverage starts at 7:15)
As Featured in The Baltimore Sun
“When Annabel is outside for long periods of time, she behaves better; she listens better; she’s happier; and she sleeps better.” said Jones, of Crofton, who also believes the program is doing a good job preparing Annabel for kindergarten.
“We’re not a traditional school, but we’re adding and subtracting and chanting our ABCs through the forest,” said Caylor, noting that students write their letters outside in chalk, do math with various items like pine cones and science projects in the stream and elsewhere.
Contact the Director
Jessica Caylor joined the Howard County Conservancy as the Nature Preschool Director in January 2021. She previously served as a forest school teacher and has spent the last twelve years in the world of early childhood education. Jess’ degree in Geography and Environmental Studies combined with her years of experience as a preschool teacher make Nature Preschool the perfect niche. This program offers a unique environment for children to grow and blossom, while deeply connecting with the natural world.
