Part Two of Becky DelVecchio, Ph.D’s essay documenting the founding of a nature- and play-based ECE program in Hopkinton, MA that she co-authored with early educator Sara Becker has been published by Exchange, a quarterly publication that focuses on early childhood leadership and advocacy.

Part Two delves into the business challenges of launching an entrepreneurial venture in early education such start-up costs, obtaining state licensure, and site planning:
When seeking out space for her new program, Sara initially investigated local farms and rental properties abutting state parks, or conservation lands that were open to the public. She also considered renting land and building a yurt. In our land search, every option had its pros and cons. Most of the cons centered around people having a hard time understanding what we wanted to do with the children on the land all day. That led to concerns about the impact our program might have on their land. They also did not understand our bathroom and shelter space needs in order to meet licensing standards because they had no history of working with children in their spaces.

When seeking out space for her new program, Sara initially investigated local farms and rental properties abutting state parks, or conservation lands that were open to the public. She also considered renting land and building a yurt. In our land search, every option had its pros and cons. Most of the cons centered around people having a hard time understanding what we wanted to do with the children on the land all day. That led to concerns about the impact our program might have on their land. They also did not understand our bathroom and shelter space needs in order to meet licensing standards because they had no history of working with children in their spaces.

DelVecchio is project coordinator of Early Education Leadership’ Statewide Professional Development Academy.

“There is so much good work happening in our field,” she said. “When you have an opportunity to shine a light on that work to inspire others, you should take it. Early educators are moving the field forward and this is the proof.”

Part One, titled “Building a Nature Program, from the Inside Out Part 1: How Sara Becker Started the Wildwood Learning Center,” is available here.