Our School

Small by design. Big in possibility.

A family-run nature preschool on four wooded acres in Woolwich, Maine — where every child is genuinely known.

Our Story

It started with choosing Maine.

Dr. Dodge's Nature Preschool began when Andie Dodge — a neuroscientist who had lived and worked everywhere from California and Florida to Manhattan and Boston — put down roots in Maine, her father's childhood home. Here she found her real work: helping young children fall in love with learning the way she fell in love with science, through curiosity, evidence, and wonder.

The school grew from a simple conviction: early childhood can be intellectually rich without rushing childhood itself. Nature, movement, play, and relationships are not breaks from learning. For young children, they are learning.

Dr. Dodge's remains proudly small and family-run. The woods, gardens, and dome sit on the Dodge family's own land, and the teaching team includes three generations of people who have spent their lives caring for others.

Three friends giggle together on a picnic table bench
Dr. Andie Dodge, founder and lead teacher
Meet Andie

A scientist who chose the woods.

Andie's path has never been ordinary. She skipped high school entirely — entering college through Mary Baldwin's Program for the Exceptionally Gifted — and earned her bachelor's degree from Virginia Tech at eighteen. By twenty-four she held a PhD in neuroscience. Postdoctoral research at NYU and Tufts on Alzheimer's and Parkinson's therapeutics followed — work that produced many peer-reviewed publications — and then years as an industrial scientist, teaching as a professor alongside.

She is also a lifelong competitive athlete: she holds black belts in taekwondo and jiu-jitsu and trained across boxing, kickboxing, and Krav Maga — winning many titles along the way, East Coast and Virginia Kickboxing Champion among them — and has run many ultramarathons. The person teaching your child to try brave things has spent her whole life doing exactly that.

When a family member became ill, Andie left academia for Maine — her father's childhood home — and found her real work at the intersection of science and childhood. Her research background shapes everything at Dr. Dodge's: how children build confidence, regulate big feelings, solve problems, form friendships, and become people who love to learn. What looks like play here is quietly building the brain's foundations for literacy, mathematics, and scientific thinking.

"We want every child to love coming to school."
Our Environment

Four acres of classroom.

Home base is four wooded acres with trails, gardens, a greenhouse, a stream, a mud kitchen, a firepit cooking area, a climbing dome, a ninja course, and a nature obstacle course — play spaces shaped by the children who use them. Vegetables the children plant in spring become the snacks they harvest and prepare in fall.

When the weather turns truly wild, we gather inside our geodesic dome — a warm, light-filled classroom built just for the preschool, keeping us close to the outdoors even when we're in. The rest of the time, Maine itself is the classroom: we are outdoors in all seasons, and we don't close on snow days.

Children hold up squash they grew, with the gardens, greenhouse, and dome behind
Inside the geodesic dome classroom, children play at a sensory table beneath the canopy
Children pour water through a colorful funnel wall beside the greenhouse

Take the one-minute tour

Our Teachers

Known, and cared for, by name.

With a 6:1 ratio and a maximum of twelve children, our teaching team knows every child's interests, worries, and next brave step. All teachers are trained in nature and outdoor education, CPR certified, and licensed by the State of Maine as child care providers.

Daisy

Teacher

Daisy first fell in love with the New England outdoors exploring the Appalachian Trail as a student at Dartmouth College. After a brief career as a business consultant in San Francisco, she returned to New England to homestead farm — and, having grown up in urban areas, she holds a special gratitude for life lived in close connection with the rhythms of nature. At Dr. Dodge's, she creates safe, nurturing spaces where children play freely, explore with curiosity, and engage with creativity. A 500-hour certified yoga teacher who leads outdoor community classes in the Brunswick area, Daisy brings a mindfulness-informed approach to her teaching — staying present with each child's needs and responding organically to their interests as they arise.

Tom

Teacher

Thomas Dodge spent his entire professional career as an ICU nurse, and also served as staff nurse at Chewonki, the renowned nature-based educational organization in Maine. A former soccer coach and ski instructor, he brings a calm, steady presence to forest walks, scraped knees, and brave firsts.

Debbie

Teacher

Debbie is a retired nurse and mother of three whose career was spent nurturing others with compassion and patience. Her healthcare background gives her a keen eye for child wellness and safety, and her calm, confident presence helps little ones feel secure and understood.

Come See For Yourself

Ready to wander with us?

The best way to understand Dr. Dodge's is to walk the trails, step inside the dome, and picture your child here. Tours are offered to prospective families as part of our admissions process.

To schedule, email contact@ddnatureschool.com — we’ll find a time for you and your child to visit together.

Request a Tour Explore Admissions