(302) 461-7474 Savanna@newarknatureschool.org 292 W Main St, Newark, DE 19711
Now Enrolling for September
About Us

A small school with deep Newark roots.

We’re a locally-owned, family-run daycare and pre-K opening in September on West Main Street. Our story is the same as the families we serve - we love this town, and we want a thoughtful place to send the kids while we work.

About the Center

Why we exist

Newark Nature School was founded by a Newark family who searched the area for the kind of program they wished existed: small, nature-rich, walkable from downtown, and run by people who actually know your child’s name. When we couldn’t find it, we built it.

We’ll license for up to 80 children across five age-specific rooms - infant (12 wks – 12 mo), toddler, two-year-olds, preschool, and pre-K. Group sizes and ratios meet or exceed Delaware OCCL guidelines.

Our home is the historic block at 292 W Main Street, between the Newark Country Club’s tree-lined edge and First Presbyterian’s playground. Real classroom learning is the spine of every day; outdoor recess and nature walks fit around it, not over it.

What makes us different

  • Brightwheel Experience Curriculum, with a nature lens. Real academic content - literacy, numeracy, science, social-emotional, art, music - with weekly themes that draw from the natural world.
  • Assessments & conferences. Week-one developmental baseline plus parent-teacher conferences every six months.
  • Small, locally owned. One location, one director, one phone tree.
  • Downtown Newark walkability. Library, post office, farmers market - all on foot.
  • UD-friendly. Calendar respects UD breaks; staff and faculty get a 10% weekly discount.
  • Real food. Snacks and lunches are made on-site - no microwave plastic trays.
  • Family events & conferences. Backyard BBQs, themed classroom parties, monthly calendars sent home, and one-on-one teacher conferences twice a year.
Our Staff

The people who’ll know your child

We’re hiring our founding teaching team this summer. Every educator we bring on will be CPR/First Aid certified, background-checked, and trained in our outdoor-first curriculum. Below is who’s here on Day One.

Savanna

Director & Founder

Newark native, early-childhood educator, and the friendly voice on the other end of (302) 461-7474. Send a note to Savanna@newarknatureschool.org and you’ll hear back from her personally.

Lead Teachers

Roles open

We’re actively interviewing lead teachers for each age band. If you’re an experienced early-childhood educator who loves being outside, drop us a note.

Kitchen & Operations

Roles open

We’ll prepare snacks and lunch on-site daily. Looking for someone who cares as much about a tray of pear slices as they do about a meeting agenda.

Curriculum

Brightwheel Experience Curriculum, with a nature lens.

Newark Nature School delivers the Brightwheel Experience Curriculum - a research-based, age-appropriate program built by early-childhood educators and aligned with state foundations. It covers the full developmental picture: early literacy, numeracy, science, social-emotional, art, music, and motor skills. We layer our nature theme on top, so each weekly unit pulls examples and activities from the seasons, the trees on Main Street, and the world children are walking through every day. Outdoor recess fits around classroom learning - not the other way around.

Infants & Toddlers

12 wks – 24 months · Brightwheel infant/toddler track

Predictable feed and nap rhythms, daily reading and music time, sensory exploration, and one-on-one language modeling. Outdoor stroller walks on warm-weather days under shade.

Two-Year-Olds

24 – 36 months · Brightwheel 2-yr track

Vocabulary growth, color and shape recognition, blocks, dramatic play, beginning self-help skills, and storytime. Toilet learning at the family’s pace, never the school’s.

Preschool (3 – 4 yrs)

Brightwheel preschool track

Letter and sound recognition, number sense, beginning writing, science investigations, art, and music - all woven into weekly themes that frequently draw from the natural world. Field trips down Main Street twice a month.

Pre-K (4 – 5 yrs)

Brightwheel pre-K track · Kindergarten-ready

Reading readiness, sound-letter mapping, beginning writing, number sense to 20, and the social skills to walk confidently into Newark Charter, Christina, or Newark School District kindergartens. Children leave us with a portfolio.

Family Connection

Stay close to your child’s day.

A great daycare is more than a drop-off - it’s a small community you actually feel part of. Here’s how we keep families close to what’s happening in the classroom and to each other.

Week-one assessment

Your child’s teacher completes an age-appropriate developmental assessment in their first week with us - a real baseline so we can track meaningful progress.

Conferences every 6 months

Twice a year you’ll meet one-on-one with your child’s teacher to walk through their assessment, see their portfolio, and talk about what’s next.

Center events

Backyard BBQs, fun-in-the-sun days, and themed classroom parties - built so parents can meet each other and you can be in the building doing something fun, not just at drop-off and pickup.

Monthly calendar

Posted outside our front door and sent home with your child each month. Includes classroom themes, dress-up days, special events, and any parent activities so nothing sneaks up on you.

Curious if we’re a fit?

Send a quick note. Savanna replies personally.

Email Us