Eastern Region Association of Forest and Nature Schools

The Eastern Region Association of Forest and Nature Schools, inc. (erafans) continues to fulfill our mission through nature-based education and program initiatives for teachers, children, and families. In 2021, our biggest accomplishments include increased attendance for our nature-based teacher certification courses, growing demand of our online learning opportunities, and the expansion of notchcliff Nature programs. The nature-based teacher certification is a 36-hour course that provides in-depth study of best practices in nature-based early childhood education to prepare teachers for meaningful outdoor learning experiences. The certification is offered in tiered levels i,ii, and iii. We certified a total of 216 teachers in 2023, with 144 online participants and 72 participants joining us for live training in Maryland and new york. 199 participants attended level i certification, 17 participants attended level ii.

Notchcliff Nature programs is a community-based arm of programming offered in partnership with a local retirement community in baltimore county, md. In 2023, programs included Forest preschool programs for children ages 3-5 years old (34 children) and a homeschool cooperative for children ages 5-8 years old (19 children). In addition, we offered licensed summer Nature camps. Notchcliff provides a 'lab school' approach to continue learning about the needs of teachers, children, and families in nature-based outdoor learning programs.