Every child is granted only one childhood. This profound truth is the heartbeat of early childhood education (ECE), a central focus for those passionate about child development and shaping the next generation. Early education—especially when rooted in Christian education values—dedicates itself to nurturing the minds, bodies, and spirits of preschool children. For educators of faith, this work is more than a profession; it is a calling—an invitation to steward the early years with wisdom, care, and a commitment to God’s design.
As the landscape of early childhood education evolves, two powerful trends stand out as both opportunity and mission. The first is a renewed embrace of environmental education and nature-based education, bringing preschool children and their teachers back to the natural world to inspire wonder, critical thinking, and responsible stewardship. The second elevates the entire field, shining a light on the importance of the early childhood education workforce and the systems that provide equitable access to early learning programs. Both trends empower Christian school communities and educators to integrate faith deeply into early education, ensuring that children, teachers, and families can thrive.
The Great Outdoors as a Classroom: Nature-Based and Environmental Education
A foundational truth from Scripture reminds us, “The earth is the Lord’s, and everything in it” (Psalm 24:1). In environmental education and nature based education, preschool children are invited to explore and learn within God’s natural environment, making the outdoors a central classroom for early education. Nature play is not simply recreation; it is a learning environment that encourages children’s play, physical activity, curiosity, and scientific understanding.
This approach to early childhood education moves beyond the occasional recess, making the natural world a dynamic and learner-centered classroom. Hands-on experiences in natural settings—such as gardening, building with sticks and stones, or observing weather—align with how young children develop critical thinking, executive functioning, and problem solving skills.
A Return to God’s First Classroom: Faith and Environmental Literacy
For Christian schools and educators, nature is not just a learning backdrop but a revelation of God’s creativity and care. Preschool children in nature preschools and community gardens experience child development and human development firsthand through outdoor play and curriculum rooted in Christian values.
Environmental education offers an avenue to practice stewardship. By involving preschool children in activities like recycling, gardening, or nature-based service projects, teachers model how caring for creation is both responsibility and worship. This also builds environmental literacy—an understanding of the natural environment as a system and a gift from God.
As Genesis 1 describes God’s handiwork, early childhood curriculum rich in environmental education and nature studies helps children “read” God’s world as well as His word. Every plant, animal, and natural process becomes a case study in divine design, fostering a sense of awe, understanding, and appreciation for the importance of the natural world.
Research-Backed Benefits: Child Development Through Outdoor Play
Research literature confirms the many benefits of environmental education for early childhood development. Spending time in nature and natural settings contributes to children’s physical activity levels, language development, and enhanced executive functioning. For preschool children, outdoor play is associated with improved attention, focus, and problem solving, as well as strong emotional well-being. The unstructured play found in these environments encourages children to use prior knowledge, practice decision making skills, and collaborate with peers—building real-world thinking skills in a supportive learning environment.
Social-emotional growth blossoms when preschool children learn and play together in nature. They cooperate to build forts, balance on logs, and support each other through new challenges, developing empathy and resilience. These authentic experiences help lay the foundation for life skills and healthy relationships.
Nature-based education also aligns with the Next Generation Science Standards, supporting early childhood educators in fostering scientific process skills and curiosity from a young age. Whether learning to observe, ask research questions, or investigate a new bug, preschool children grow as investigators of both God’s world and the scientific process.
Schools are increasingly responding by creating outdoor classrooms and nature play spaces, recognizing the importance of environmental education as central to high-quality early childhood education and child development.
Elevating the Field: Workforce, Policy, and Access in Early Childhood Education
As early childhood education and early learning programs earn more recognition for their role in human development, another trend emerges which focuses on the early education workforce, policy, and greater access. The national conversation now highlights not only the learning environment itself, but the preschool teachers, researchers, and families making it possible.
Jesus’s invitation, “Let the little children come to me and do not hinder them” (Mark 10:14), serves as a guiding principle. For Christian schools and communities, supporting quality early education systems means advocating for access, inclusion, and just policies, so no child is left behind.
Supporting Teachers: The Heart of Early Childhood Development
Early childhood educators are essential to the success of early childhood education. The current workforce shortage highlights the importance of investing in the recruitment, retention, and well-being of preschool teachers—champions of child development and foundational learning.
For Christian educators, teaching is an act of service shaped by faith. Embracing Jesus’s direction in Matthew 20:26, many teachers see themselves as servant-leaders, modeling compassion and dedication. Yet, even the most committed educators require support for their own mental health, continued professional development, and opportunities for higher education and credentialing. In Christian education, Colossians 3:23 inspires all teachers to work wholeheartedly and with purpose, aiming for excellence in their vocation.
As the field professionalizes, early learning programs are investing in ongoing training by helping preschool teachers sharpen their skills in curriculum, early childhood development, and educational research. This supports teacher satisfaction, a positive learning environment, and stronger childhood education outcomes.
In addition, Christian educators play a key role in advocacy, living out Proverbs 31:8 by giving voice to young children and families in policy discussions. Their experience bridges the gap between classroom realities and the policymakers shaping early education’s future, whether the focus is on fair compensation, access, or inclusive curriculum.
Access and Inclusion: Ensuring Every Child Benefits from Early Education
An essential priority for early childhood education is ensuring equitable access to high-quality programs for all preschool children and families. Policies regarding universal pre-kindergarten, financial aid, and flexible early learning programs are gaining momentum in the education community. These initiatives work to equalize opportunity so a child’s learning environment and future are not dictated by socioeconomic status or location.
Christian schools and educators are committed to removing barriers that hinder children’s learning or participation. This means fostering inclusive classrooms and programs that celebrate all of God’s children—regardless of ability, background, or circumstance—and nurturing environments that support child development for every learner.
Creating inclusive early childhood settings requires building strong connections with families and communities, as well as developing partnerships, scholarships, and responsive, learner-centered practices. In the spirit of Christian education, these efforts reflect God’s love by opening wide the doors to early education and childhood development for all.
United Purpose: Stewardship of Creation, People, and Knowledge
At first glance, nature-based education and workforce advocacy may appear distinct, but both trends are woven together by the idea of stewardship. In early childhood education, this stewardship extends to both God’s world and God’s people.
Environmental education and nature play invite preschool children to engage with and care for the natural world, establishing habits of stewardship and inquiry that last a lifetime. Meanwhile, supporting teachers and early education systems is an act of stewardship toward the next generation’s holistic development—intellectual, spiritual, emotional, and physical.
By integrating a Christian worldview into early childhood education, we elevate both the environment in which children learn and the people who guide them. We shape a future in which nature, knowledge, faith, and compassion come together as the foundation for lifelong growth, learning, and service.
