The Mayapple School

The Mayapple School has been a wonderful place for our child's first school experience! The teachers have been able to support them in developing their skills and independence while promoting learning in a nature-based environment. As a parent, I have appreciated the balance between educational lessons and child-led exploration and play. I was unsure about how our child would transition, but their adjustment was seamless and they requested to go more often! There are also different attendance options available, ranging from a two-days per week, part-time program to a five-days per week, full-time program - our family has appreciated being able to customize what works best for us! I would highly recommend The Mayapple School to other families who share these values!

The Mayapple School has been a truly wonderful experience for our family. It offers so much more than a traditional early childhood education—it's a space where children learn to connect with nature, build confidence and independence, and practice kindness and healthy habits every day. Our son has been part of the school for three years now, and he absolutely loves it. The Forest Kindergarten program is especially incredible. We are so grateful for the caring and intentional community at Mayapple. It's everything we could have hoped for in a school for our child.

My daughter is finishing up her third year at Mayapple. It has been an invaluable experience both for her and our whole family. After three years, she still wakes up every day excited to go to school and sad when it’s the weekend. The teachers are so loving and caring and have done so much to foster her curiosity and creativity while also pushing her to get outside of her comfort zone to learn new things. She comes home having done the amazing projects like making their own maple syrup, having the students create and preform their own play and finding the coolest nature discoveries. We love Mayapple!

At least one of our daughters has attended Mayapple since the fall of 2021. For both children, we have found Mayapple to be a very enriching and supportive environment with a nature-based curriculum focus. When we first visited Mayapple prior to my eldest daughter's enrollment, I knew right away that it would be a good fit for our kids. The classroom itself has a very calm and warm atmosphere. Children are clearly encouraged to use their imagination and are presented with ample opportunity in the form of crafts and items to create and explore. For both of our kids, this has been a perfect environment to learn and grow. Outdoors, though, is really what sets Mayapple apart. The children are encouraged to play outdoors, playing without traditional modern play structures. They often go on nature walks and can identify poison ivy with ease. The teachers are patient and kind, while also encouraging the children to explore their independence. I would highly recommend the Mayapple School for your 3-5 year old.

My child has entered into their second year at the Mayapple School and I cannot emphasize what a special place it is! We had looked into several other options in the area and almost immediately after walking into the Mayapple School, it was a clear no brainer that this would be an ideal fit for our child. The focus on experiential learning is incredible. While lessons in traditional schoolings still have a place in the classroom, the children “lead” many of the lessons and the confidence, team building skills and knowledge gained are immeasurable. Both teachers demonstrate patience, guidance, kindness and it shows in how well the children react and respond both in and out of school. I cannot recommend the Mayapple School enough. We are so fortunate to have such a special place for learning in our community.