Calvin Frey, founder of Tender Leaves Outdoor Preschool in Poulsbo, wants to build the school he never had: one where no kid gets lost in the shuffle, staff model healthy skills and the day is a balance of movement and learning.

But what makes Tender Leaves unique isn’t just the atypical learning environment. Frey wants the benefits of outdoor education to be available to students of all income levels, which is why he attained an Outdoor and Nature-Based Child Care license — the only program in Kitsap County to do so.

“I have worked with low-income families for pretty much my entire educational career, and most times, low-income families don’t have access to a lot of the really cool programs or enrichments that exist because they’re expensive,” said Frey. “Getting licensed […] really lets families who may not otherwise afford it join a program like mine, rather than going into like a crammed preschool that has 40 kids, because they’re the only ones that have the subsidies.”

Since 2021, when ONB licenses were made official, the state Department of Children, Youth and Families has awarded 26 licenses to programs in 11 counties around the state, 24 of which are in Western Washington. If approved, Tender Leaves will be the first licensed program in Kitsap, said DCYF communications director Nancy Gutierrez.

“Throughout [the application] process, licensing staff work closely with applicants, providing technical assistance and guidance. Each program is unique in the characteristics of the natural space the program operates in, with individual risky areas and risky play components,” said Gutierrez.

As a licensed ONB program, Tender Leaves is able to operate on the same level as traditional preschools. Students can attend for longer than four hours, Frey can apply for state grants and federal subsidies to provide tuition assistance and staff must have emergency training and education certifications.

“I think what my program has to offer, at least outdoor education in general has to offer, is we get to get kids back outside. There’s a social media and screen epidemic, kids are glued to them, so we’re peeling kids away from that and getting them back outside,” said Frey.

The license is also a mark of commitment to different educational standards than the average preschool, Frey added. Students must demonstrate mastery of a state curriculum that is developed by professional educators, and taught by staff with training as educators.

“I personally like the oversight. I think it’s important to have accountability and to hold yourself to a higher standard, because if you think about it, we demand as much from our kids, especially in school,” Frey said.

Creating Tender Leaves is partially an effort to heal from his own experience in the school system, Frey explained. Growing up, Frey was an “under-served, low-income kid,” he said, which kept him disconnected from school and adrift in his career as an adult.

But when he found teaching, especially teaching at an outdoor preschool, “the concept clicked,” he said.

“It’s everything I love about education: it’s outdoors, it involves children moving and being active, exploring their environment and taking healthy risks. But it also has the potential to build a foundation for school readiness,” said Frey. “Everything about this speaks to what I find very important about education today.”

Tender Leaves is located at Salsbury Park, right next to the Hood Canal Bridge. Many outdoor preschools and educational programs have a partnership with state parks or private landowners, but county parks like Salsbury are less common. Frey said Salsbury made the perfect location.

“From a teacher lens, the park had every feature you could want in an outdoor preschool: long sightlines so everyone is in view, low trees to practice climbing, hiking trails, a clearly-defined play area with swings, and easy pickup and dropoff. Fishermen and tribes also launch boats from the beach there sometimes, which makes for an interesting event,” Frey said.

Students start their day with a short free-play to say hi to friends, followed by a morning “circle time” check-in, during which the events of the day, emotions and the weather are discussed. A staff member then reads a book to students, after which they proceed on a slow but intentional hike. After snack, students get some time to play freely, then they get an academic lesson and lunch before dismissal.

“At a young age, mentorship looks like modeling good behaviors, or the kind of behaviors we want to see in our kids. How do we deal with conflict? How do we handle our emotions? If we’re feeling disappointed or upset about something, what are steps we can take to overcome those feelings, or acknowledge those feelings? What does it mean to be a good friend, or a good steward?” Frey said.

Tender Leaves is enrolling for Fall Pre-K, with a class size of 12 and a few enrollment slots still remaining, as of publication. The first day of preschool was Sept. 2.