Welcome to Gather Forest School

Gather Forest School is a learning community for children aged 4-12 years old. Our mission is to provide a nurturing and engaging environment where children can learn and grow in nature. Our experienced educators combine play-based learning with hands-on experiences in the forest to create a unique and enriching educational experience for your child.

Our Why

We aim to give progressive and supportive instruction to Black families. Currently, Black children participating in progressive and nature-based learning are often the only Black children in their classrooms. On the other end, due to the opportunity gap, many Black classrooms are often over-populated, over-tested, and over-disciplined. We want to create a safe and conscious space for Black children to explore nature, enjoy project-based instruction, learn about environmental stewardship, and be celebrated within our tight-knit community.

We understand that environmental injustice disproportionately affects Black (and Native) communities, resulting in higher air pollution levels, limited access to healthy food options, and a shortage of green spaces. But we refused to let economic segregation, environmental racism, ecological apartheid, and redlining move us away from our dreams of a "forest school."

We intentionally selected nature as our classroom for school and our events to:
*Provide a sensory-rich learning environment
*Lean into our rich history of being agricultural geniuses
*Explore ecology and our interconnectedness to the land
*Ask Black communities about outdoor inclusivity and conservationist conversations.

We do what we do because we care deeply about the protection and the dignity of childhood. We want to create opportunities for Black children (0-18) to also have the opportunity to enjoy the land, the animals, and the world around them in the loving presence of their families and community.

The Founders

Ashley Causey-Golden, co-founder of Gather Forest School and creator of Afrocentric Montessori. Ashley has been teaching children since she was 18 years old. She has a bachelor's degree in Elementary and Special Education from Winthrop University and a master's from Columbia University in Sociology and Education Policy. She has been a lead teacher in traditional learning spaces (public and charter), progressive learning spaces (Reggio Emilia and Montessori), and African-centered learning environments during her 14 years of teaching early childhood.

Shelby Stone-Steel is a middle school enthusiast. Her journey began with Teach For America in New York City (2006). Her passion for outdoor learning developed while teaching at a Newark charter school, where she witnessed the impact of outdoor time on student engagement. This experience led her to co-found Gather Forest School and establish Shalom Polepole, a blog exploring nature, environmentalism, and environmental justice.

With 18 years of teaching experience across public, charter, private, forest, and homeschool settings, she now also co-leads GrassRoots Middle, integrating outdoor learning with core academics.

She holds a B.A. in English Literature/Journalism and International Studies from Miami University, completed her MST at Pace University, studied Pastry Arts at L'Academie de Cuisine, and is currently pursuing Instructional Leadership at Harvard Graduate School of Education.