About Us
We have found inspiration within every blossoming child!
Nurturing Nature Early Childhood Center is an inclusive early education center based in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Our emergent curriculum has a significant outdoor component, and our teachers are committed to nurturing children, while the children explore and nurture nature.
We foster diversity and uniqueness to create and maintain a nurturing and compassionate community. We offer a high-quality educational experience while supporting children and their adult caregivers. Our focus is to nurture the neurodiversity of each child and to support their developmental growth through emergent curriculum, unstructured free play and teacher facilitated play experiences.
From weather talks to nature walks, nature is heavily rooted in our everyday activities. We recognize childhood as an ideal time for outdoor exploration and have observed, firsthand, the positive effects of self-directed learning. We look forward to opening a new center with natural light features, an extended outdoor classroom, a multi-faceted sensory area, and a vertical garden - each element enhances the interconnection to our messaging and our mission which promotes health, safety, and sustainability.
We have learned from earlier models that having access to the outdoors is an important element for the well-being of a child’s physical and mental health. Time constrains with adult schedules and accessibility challenges often limit the amount of time children spend outdoors. To counter these challenges, Nurturing Nature offers children an exceptional education as we maximize access to regular periods of outdoor exploration.
Our Story
Our story started in 2009 as toddler and preschool teachers at a cooperative (co-op) childcare center in Cambridge. We have since extended our professional careers and grown our families. In 2022, we embarked on the endeavor to build a nurturing and inclusive community nestled in the city.
Our community is centered around children and their adult caregivers [both family and teachers alike]! We are committed to helping families solve problems by connecting families with local services and community resources and providing ongoing support. As a steward of early education and care, our center promotes neurodiversity and healthy development. Our aspiration is to provide each child a pathway to reach their full potential.
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Our professional careers have granted us the opportunities to gain experience from several versions of childcare. We understand the varying complexities of traditional childcare centers, co-ops, family day-cares, in-home childcare and homeschooling.
Collectively, our experiences and our particular interests give us the unique skills and capabilities to lead Nurturing Nature Early Childhood Center.
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Will you join us?
MEET OUR TEAM
Kate Gorman
Executive Director
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BA in Business
Masters in Early
Childhood Education
Director II
Maria Burton
Director of Program
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Infant, toddler &
preschool teacher
Safety trainer
Field instructor
Sarah
McDaniels-Levy
Director of Operations
Entrepreneur
Toddler & preschool teacher
Management in service-related industries