About Brave Nature School
We are living in a precarious era marked by unprecedented environmental shifts and critical social change. As parents, families, and communities we are called to respond to these changes in new ways – for our children, and future generations.
We are called to be Brave.
Nature is a teacher.
Cultures around the world believe that nature (including the human species!) already holds the answer to its sources of resilience and survival. What does it look like to let nature be our teacher? Can we learn to listen? What does it mean to share space with other lifeforms? What might paying attention and taking these relations seriously mean? What could we learn about living well together?
Learning is relational.
At Brave Nature School, we believe that learning is relational. Another way of saying this is that relationships ignite learning! Caregivers are a child's first teachers, they provide the very foundation to a little one's lifelong learning.
Learning is also intergenerational. Some of the most practical skills and meaningful lessons a child will learn have been passed down by elders, generation upon generation. As children step outside their family nests, their worlds rapidly expand. Experiences with community members, peers, and the natural environment further develop their understandings and broaden their perspectives. We invite you into the process of sharing bioregional, intergenerational and multicultural knowledge.
Learning is emergent.
Knowledge isn't simply given or received. Knowledge is actively exchanged and co-created as playworkers, families, and the land come together. We believe that children are active protagonists in their own learning journeys and our curriculum and pedagogy are designed to be responsive. As each cohort is unique, no two classes or programs will ever be alike.
A values-driven learning experience.
We are decidedly consent-based, anti-racist, anti-bias, and decolonizing in practice. We invite one another to engage in the process of unlearning any biases we may have acquired, while equipping ourselves with skills that promote body awareness and autonomy, collaboration, and kinship with our natural world.
We partner with Indigenous educators, micro-schools and organizations as we collectively work to break down barriers for community-based knowledge systems and re-center our relationship as an interconnected part of nature. In this way, we model a Brave, lifelong learning ethic while contributing to a truly relevant and individualized experience for each child.
Consent-Based Learning
Brave Nature School believes children are rights-holders – autonomous humans, with the right to be heard, respected and trusted; to make independent decisions; to bodily autonomy; and to freedom from manipulation and coercion. They are also active and capable protagonists in their own learning journey.
A consent-based learning environment not only offers freedom of movement, it also equips children with age-appropriate body awareness and safety skills so that they will come to trust in their own instincts, pursue their own curiosities with confidence, and direct their own learning experience.
Anti-Bias Community
Anti-bias education is about creating a safe and supportive learning community for all children. It is the practice of actively identifying and opposing harmful forms of bias towards marginalized identities and communities including but not limited to racism, homophobia, and ableism.
Nature teaches us the value of living in an anti-bias community. As ecosystems evolve, they organically become more diverse – this diversity creates more resources (not less) in a system. This is because plants and species need different nutrients to thrive, and they each generate abundant resources to share. Plants, trees, animals, and insects all understand that they can gain what they need by creating cooperative relationships. Instead of drawing all their resources from the soil, they start exchanging resources with other species or plants. Being a part of an anti-bias community means that we recognize we are all different, we are all connected, and we all have critical roles to play. In fact, our survival and thriving depends on everyone playing their unique parts.
Our Community Agreement
We commit to the practice of unlearning our biases, cultivating a consent-based environment, fostering little ones' self-trust and connecting deeply with one another and our place, while honoring our multicultural traditions.
Year-round Programming
Our programs run year-round, in all seasons and weather. This offers a unique opportunity to learn from the seasonal changes of the land, as well as the multicultural traditions that our community celebrates.
Children thrive in all weather types, as long as we prepare with the right gear (we'll provide a gear guide and offer a gear library for folks to borrow from if needed). We will meet outdoors come rain, snow, or shine.
Of course, exceptions will occur such as thunderstorms, heavy winds, or snow and ice that could make arriving to the program hazardous. Families will be notified in advance if a class needs to be rescheduled.
Meet Our Team
Born and raised on unceded Poquonooks, Wangunks, and Tunxis Land also known as Hartford County, CT, I am a practitioner of consent-based environmental learning spaces, and the mama to one brave nature-loving toddler. For me, Brave Nature School is a childhood dream come true. Like many kids, I spent my days climbing trees, ankle-deep in a stream, and caring for wildlife. I loved learning – about plants and their healing properties at the urban garden, oil paints and knitting from my Polish grandmother, and about different cultural traditions at our community center.
At the same time, I remember feeling disconnected from my formal education experience. My teachers did not represent my diverse community nor did the curriculum or policies align with my values and lived experience. I knew from a young age that I would start a different kind of school one day.
My reverence for nature and heart for social justice led me to a career at the intersection of human rights, climate and environmental education policy, and community organizing. I earned my Masters degree in Critical Environmental Education under an Indigenous and First Nations faculty where I specialized in decolonizing, feminist, and anti-racist education frameworks. Over the years I have built nature programs, one multicultural micro-school, designed trauma-informed and culturally relevant curricula for refugees, and most recently advanced the rights, knowledge and priorities of Indigenous Peoples in international environmental policy at the United Nations.
I have been invited to present at regional and international conferences including the American Education Research Association and the World Environmental Education Congress. I've travelled to many parts of the world to learn (and teach) in various community led schools including the Green School, Bali; the Warsaw Waldorf School, Poland; Norbulingka Institute, India, among others.
Now that I am back in my home state raising a little one of my own (and thanks to a magical partnership with Edgerton Park), our dream micro-school is now underway. I hope you'll join us.
Hi, I'm Kimberly!
she/her/they
I was born on the unceded Land of the Munsee Lenape, now known as New York City, where my early life was shaped by the city’s rhythms and diverse identities. My connection to the natural world was equally profound, nurtured through childhood visits to my grandparents in El Salvador, where lush landscapes and secluded beaches became my sanctuary.
Creative expression has always been central to my path. After pursuing filmmaking and art direction, I shifted into children’s television, which led me to study Early Childhood Education at Bank Street College. The progressive, child-centered approach there deeply influenced my teaching philosophy. I then joined Blue School, founded by the Blue Man Group, where I facilitated children’s exploration through the use of myriad art and play materials for expression, drawing from the Reggio Emilia approach. I also trained with the national SEED Project (Seeking Educational Equity and Diversity), which strengthened my commitment to creating inclusive, equitable spaces for all children, families and staff members.
Becoming a mother and relocating to unceded Quinnipiac land sparked a personal and professional renaissance. This led me to found Community Play Atelier, a home-based, nature-inspired, process art and sensory play studio for children.
Now, as I join Brave Nature School as a playworker, I’m thrilled to continue nurturing children’s creativity, supporting their developing sense of self, and helping to cultivate a community that lives in reciprocity with the natural world.
Hi, I’m Jeannine
she/her/they
I was born on the unceded land of the Kumeyaay people, formerly Alta California, and now known as San Diego, where generations of my family have lived, crossing borders long before they were drawn or made finite. I grew up in the South Bay, nestled between urban sprawl and the Tijuana Estuary, the last barrier between the Pacific Ocean and pollution. These landscapes inspired me to question the false dichotomy between urban and rural spaces, revealing how people create meaningful connections to land across shifting boundaries.
This early curiosity guided me toward my academic career as an anthropologist, where my work bridges labor, sound, and place-making. This aspect of my life has led me to research with the Center for Creativity (CROC) in Topanga, CA, where I participated in ethnographic research on student creativity in elementary schools across Southern California, and to Mérida, Yucatán, Mexico.
Creativity has always been central to how I engage with the world. As a teenager, I explored sound and storytelling through music. Today, I continue this creative journey by making zines with my partner, blending visual media, writing, and art to communicate ideas in accessible ways. My practice also includes digital collage and photography, which I use to bring my research to life and foster connections between scholarship and community.
My journey has now brought me to New Haven, unceded Quinnipiac land, where my husband is realizing his vision as an Indigenous historian. Together with our daughter, we are building a life that reflects our shared commitment to exploring culture, history, and activism through creative collaboration. I am excited to be working with Brave Nature School, where I’m continuing to merge my passion for education, creativity, and nature, fostering connections between children and the environment.
Hi, I'm Dempsey
she/her/they
Join Our Team!
We seek individuals who:
• Are committed to lifelong learning and personal growth.
• Have experience working with children in meaningful and supportive ways.
• Embrace play as a foundation for learning.
• Value anti-racist, anti-bias, and consent-based education.
• Are physically active and comfortable working outdoors in all weather conditions.
• Can practice patience, curiosity, and creativity in child-led learning environments.
• Have (or are willing to learn) skills in conflict transformation and restorative justice.
• Are legally authorized to work in the U.S.
complete an application
Preferred Qualifications:
• Bilingual (Spanish/English or other strongly desired).
• Experience in outdoor education, early childhood development, or playwork philosophy.
• Members of BIPOC communities are strongly encouraged to apply.
