(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 Newark Nature School exists

Newark Nature School started because a Newark family went looking for the kind of daycare they wanted for their own kids and couldn’t find it: small, nature-rich, walkable from downtown, run by people who actually know your child’s name. So we’re building it.

Our license covers up to 80 children across five classrooms: infants (12 weeks through 12 months), toddlers, two-year-olds, preschool, and pre-K. Class sizes stay within Delaware OCCL ratios.

Our home is the historic block at 292 W Main Street, between the Newark Country Club’s tree line and First Presbyterian’s playground. Classroom learning is the core of the day. Outdoor time and nature walks fit around it.

What makes us different

  • Brightwheel Experience Curriculum. Academic content for literacy, math, science, social-emotional, art, and music. Each week picks up a nature theme on top.
  • Assessments and conferences. Week-one developmental baseline plus parent-teacher conferences every six months.
  • Small, locally owned. One location, one director, one phone number.
  • Downtown Newark walkability. The library, post office, and farmers market are all walking distance.
  • UD-friendly. Our calendar follows UD’s breaks. Staff and faculty get 10% off weekly tuition.
  • Food made on-site. Snacks and lunch come out of our kitchen, not a microwave tray.
  • Family events and conferences. Backyard BBQs, themed classroom parties, a monthly calendar that goes home, and 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 and First Aid certified, background-checked, and trained in the Brightwheel 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.

Our daily lessons come from the Brightwheel Experience Curriculum, a program built by early-childhood educators and aligned with state foundations. It covers early literacy, math, science, social-emotional, art, music, and motor skills. Each week, we pick a nature theme and pull examples and activities from that into the lessons. Outdoor time is part of every day, but the classroom learning comes first.

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. We tie each week’s lessons to a nature theme. Field trips down Main Street happen 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 good daycare is more than a drop-off spot. Here’s how we keep families close to what’s happening in the classroom and connected to each other.

Week-one assessment

Your child’s teacher completes an age-appropriate developmental assessment in their first week with us. That’s our baseline for tracking progress over time.

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. They give parents a chance to meet each other and spend time in the building outside of 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