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About Us

At T4K we believe that every child deserves the joy of a childhood spent outdoors.

Our mission is to deliver an inclusive program for children of all socioeconomic backgrounds based on direct nature interactions to encourage their physical and emotional social wellbeing. These experiences will promote and instill tolerance, provide social environmental justice and inspire future land stewards.

Our Approach

Cognitive Development & Reasoning

We respect every child as a unique individual with boundless potential by nurturing their innate curiosity and unique path of growth and development. Children explore STEAM-based topics that relate to their immediate, natural environment. Learning is age-appropriate and tailored to the individual needs of each child and their class group.

Empowerment & Play

Nature-based play builds children's confidence, social-emotional intelligency and resilience as they explore the environment and the four seasons through nature-relevant topics, games, stories, art and music. Children explore the natural world with agency while measuring risk and learning to listen to their own bodies.

Connection to Nature

Children explore the world around them with open eyes and hearts, full of curiosity and joy for learning. We have time to ask "why" and explore the answer together. A childhood spent in nature inspires joy, curiosity, freedom, emotional connection and a deep, genuine appreciation for nature and the wider world.

Immmersive Learning

Immersive learning environments allow children to explore the world first-hand through interactive, embodied experiences that result in multi-disciplinary learnings. With the support of our experienced educators children are encouraged to take agency in their own learning and development and follow their innate curiosity to learn about the world around them as they observe, hike, play in mud, climb, balance and more.

"If we want our children to move mountains, we first have to let them get out of their chairs."

Nicolette Sowder

Our Team

01

Bess Fergusson DIRECTOR

Bess is a certified Cedarsong Way® Forest School Teacher and holds a Graduate Diploma in Early Childhood Education from RMIT University in Melbourne, Australia. Her teaching style emphasizes curiosity, belonging and social-emotional development through both unstructured and guided play where children develop a sense of respect and care for their environment, their peers and themselves. She enjoys traveling and exploring nature with her two children, her husband and dog.

03

Kevin Borrelli LEAD TEACHER, PREK-K & AFTER-SCHOOL

Kevin has many years experience in outdoor environmental education, early childhood development and a lifelong love for natural science and history. His teaching focuses on experiential and sensory learning to develop curiousity, confidence and independence. Currently, his curriculum includes locally collected specimens from NJ that emphasize the joy and accessibility of studying the geology, ecology, paleontology and other relevant subjects in our home state and beyond. He is trained to handle macroinvertebrates, reptiles, and raptors.

04

Selina Sabolboro TEACHER, PREk-K & COOKING

Miss Selina is a certified physical education teacher with a number of years experience teaching PE to K-8 grades. She enjoys sharing her love of movement and food with children through hands-on activities (including cooking during T4K's Friday PreK-K class!) that spark fun and creativity, drawing from her experience as an educator and a small business owner. She owns “Moffle Bar”, an Asian American food stand that pops up at local festivals and street fairs, and is a parent to three children aged 5 - 19.

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Bess Fergusson DIRECTOR

Bess is a certified Cedarsong Way® Forest School Teacher and holds a Graduate Diploma in Early Childhood Education from RMIT University in Melbourne, Australia. Her teaching style emphasizes curiosity, belonging and social-emotional development through both unstructured and guided play where children develop a sense of respect and care for their environment, their peers and themselves. She enjoys traveling and exploring nature with her two children, her husband and dog.

01

Bess Fergusson DIRECTOR

Bess is a certified Cedarsong Way® Forest School Teacher and holds a Graduate Diploma in Early Childhood Education from RMIT University in Melbourne, Australia. Her teaching style emphasizes curiosity, belonging and social-emotional development through both unstructured and guided play where children develop a sense of respect and care for their environment, their peers and themselves. She enjoys traveling and exploring nature with her two children, her husband and dog.

03

Kevin Borrelli LEAD TEACHER, PREK-K & AFTER-SCHOOL

Kevin has many years experience in outdoor environmental education, early childhood development and a lifelong love for natural science and history. His teaching focuses on experiential and sensory learning to develop curiousity, confidence and independence. Currently, his curriculum includes locally collected specimens from NJ that emphasize the joy and accessibility of studying the geology, ecology, paleontology and other relevant subjects in our home state and beyond. He is trained to handle macroinvertebrates, reptiles, and raptors.

04

Selina Sabolboro TEACHER, PREk-K & COOKING

Miss Selina is a certified physical education teacher with a number of years experience teaching PE to K-8 grades. She enjoys sharing her love of movement and food with children through hands-on activities (including cooking during T4K's Friday PreK-K class!) that spark fun and creativity, drawing from her experience as an educator and a small business owner. She owns “Moffle Bar”, an Asian American food stand that pops up at local festivals and street fairs, and is a parent to three children aged 5 - 19.