North County Dublin’s Outdoor Preschool
We are HIRING for autumn 2023 start! Email your CV to [email protected].
Natural Start is a sessional preschool service based between Swords and Donabate. We are one minute from the M1 motorway (at junction 4 - Donabate) and 6 minutes from Dublin Airport.
In this idyllic rural setting, surrounded by farmland, hedges and trees we provide a service for children availing of the ECCE scheme between the ages of 3 and 6 years old.
Our facilities include a huge outdoor environment with a sand pit, mounds, trees, flower beds, kitchen garden, polytunnel, play kitchens, dens and a fire pit.
We have a fully equipped indoor classroom of 50 square meters. We follow the Montessori philosophy indoors. Children have the freedom to choose their activities and are supported to strengthen their senses and have respect for their environment. Children spend about 60% of their time outdoors.
School hours are 9.15 to 12.45. Viewings are outside school hours and by appointment only.
What now?
Get in touch and we can arrange a tour of the preschool and discuss your options. We usually take deposits from the year before entry. Deposits are 250 euro and are refundable if you attend and are approved by pobal for the ecce scheme. After January 31st of the year of entry, should you change your mind, you are not entitled to a refund of your deposit. This is because we will turn away families who will find a place elsewhere and we cannot fill our places at short notice.
We are currently enrolling for 2024 entry so get in touch now to hold your place.
Find out your ECCE eligibility by clicking on the link below.
Why choose an Outdoor preschool?
Physical Fitness
Outdoor play provides space and opportunity for children to run, jump, climb, roll, pull, push and drag items. These activities strengthen the core and improve gross motor skills, balance, coordination and spatial awareness. Being outdoors also develops immunity and increases Vitamin D levels.
Social Skills
In the outdoor environment, children are more relaxed and so have more positive interactions with their friends. They learn valuable social skills through negotiating, testing ideas, solving problems, following their interests, sharing and cooperating.
Independence
When children are given freedom of choice and movement they begin to have clearer ideas and plan their play. This experience leads to increasing confidence in their own abilities and ideas and they can create and build their play from their initiatives.
Find out more in our blog!
Immerse your child in nature
My Son Noah and daughter Lucy have come on leaps and bounds since they joined the ‘Natural Start’ preschool. Before they joined the preschool they preferred to stay indoors but now they are very keen on getting out in the elements, regardless of the weather. We have noticed that their energy and confidence levels have dramatically improved. We did a lot of research before we sent our children to this preschool and we are very happy to say that everyone of our high expectations have been met. Irene, the lady who runs the preschool is extremely talented at her job. She brings the children out to play in the lovely grounds, teaches them to cook, plays the piano and guitar for them. And so on. Irene’s Husband, Shane, is a gentleman and very friendly and helpful. If you are considering sending your children to this preschool, I strongly recommend that you do so.
Edward Sugden
