At Cottonwood Hollow, we love being outside — in all weather and in big chunks of time. Kids learn by exploring hands-on in the garden and forest, with Ohio Early Learning Standards woven in along the way.

We're at Miss Sarah's home and homestead on the southside of Columbus — about an acre of forested land with a creek and woods to explore.

We welcome kids ages 2-5.

We keep things small — 6 children with two adults present, so there's plenty of attention and care.

Here's how a typical day flows:

7:45 – Drop-off inside (window)

8:30 – Outside, then circle time

10:00 – Morning snack

11:30 – Structured activity

12:00 – Lunch

12:30 – Nap (until 2:30)

1:00 – Half-day pickup

2:30 – Aftercare

4:00 – Close

We're not a primarily academic program — our big goal is helping kids feel ready for the playground, both socially and emotionally, and in how they stay safe and judge risks. Along the way, we weave in just-right concepts like pre-writing and number sense. We believe play is the work of childhood, and we put a lot of heart into building confidence through life skills and independence, inspired by the work of Maria Montessori. We also follow the child — we shape what we do around what kids are naturally curious about here. When black walnuts start dropping from the tree, they become play objects, and we might learn about a food web, use them for natural dye, or crack them open to take a closer look.

Yes — we head outside in all weather. We believe there's no such thing as bad weather, just bad clothing. We're definitely not a military school — we always put the children first — but we do gently nudge them to stretch and grow, and make going outside in any weather just a normal part of the day. Most of our day is outdoors. In the most extreme parts of winter and summer, we shorten outside time and spend afternoons indoors.

Here's how it works:

Submit the enrollment form

Tour and conversation — Miss Sarah will reach out after your form to set up a tour

Commitment — after the tour, you'll get an email to commit with a year-long care contract. A deposit for the first week goes toward your first bill.

Yes — enrollment is open and rolling all year. Just fill out the interest form if you'd like to tour or join the waitlist — we'd love to meet you!

Just fill out the interest / enrollment form and Miss Sarah will reach out to set up a tour.

Yes — we welcome all families. We assess all applicants equally and do not discriminate on the basis of race, religion, color, national or ethnic origin, or sexual orientation in our educational policies, admissions, and programs.

Nope — we have no rules about potty. We follow each family's lead.

We're in the process of becoming licensed this year.