Star Child Nature School, located at the YMCA of the Pines and the JCC Camps, both in Medford, provides fully outdoor nature-based education for children 2½ to 12 years old. The school’s main goal is it to embrace childhood and connect children to the natural world. They have preschool, kindergarten/first-grade, homeschool and afterschool programs available.

Star Child Nature School is founded on the philosophy that children need the freedom of movement, exploration, discovery and play to grow and develop their physical body in order to build a strong foundation for emotional and cognitive learning to come. Allowing young children to learn in a predominantly outdoor environment fosters curiosity, compassion, creativity, confidence and a connection to the natural world. 

Locations: YMCA of the Pines: 415 McKendimen Rd. (Visitors are asked to use this address because the school’s entrance is separate from the YMCA’s main entrance and cannot be accessed from Stokes Rd.); JCC Camps: 400 Tuckerton Rd. For more information, email [email protected] or visit StarChildNatureSchool.com.