A Kind Garden is a home-based childcare center serving children zero to 12 and offers an excellent example of how a broad diversity of play and learning opportunities can be created on a residential site. The bountiful outdoor learning environment features a wildlife habitat garden water play, raised beds, numerous fruit trees, fruiting shrubs and vines, and pollinator gardens. Fresh produce from the OLE is incorporated into the children’s snacks and meals as part of the center focus on cuisines around the world.
A nature play space, adjacent to the OLE, features a rabbit hutch and chicken coop with egg-producing hens. Here, children learn important lessons about life cycles and how to care for and nurture living creatures. A raised boardwalk/primary pathway affords increased physical activities, including wheeled toys.
Small, intimate settings with materials storage, provide shady opportunities for quiet gathering-and-learning. The compact, diverse, exploratory landscape appears endless to young children, offering new discoveries each day.
¹ Created by owner, Alberta Forney, as her capstone project for the NLI Early Childhood Outdoor Learning Environment Certificate Program.
Beginning and Beyond Child Development Center, in downtown Raleigh, NC, has progressed towards their goal to create an active and productive outdoor learning environment as a participating POD-Wake demonstration center.
A fenced in learning garden was completed featuring 362 square feet of raised vegetable garden, a compost area, storage shed, a water source, and 211 square feet of fruiting shrubs. A total of 9 fruit trees are planted throughout the OLE.
Children enjoy planting, tending, and harvesting fresh fruits, vegetables, herbs, and flowers. The outdoor learning environment was enhanced with the creation of a stage for dramatic play and performances and a playhouse. Flowering trees along with shrubs and perennials planted in colorful tire planters help to naturalize and bring beauty to the space.
Beginning and Beyond received the City of Raleigh Urban Agriculture Award in 2015 and have invested $17,500 in OLE improvements during the course of the POD Wake project.
Address: 322 East Cabarrus St., Raleigh, NC 27601
Phone: (919) 856-2273
NC Star Rating: 4
Capacity: 120
Working with people in the community, the “seed” of POD Wake has grown.
A Safe Place was formally a family residence located on a large lot in an inner suburb of SE Raleigh, NC. Early on, generous, welcoming decks were added to the building entrance.
The POD Wake Co. three-year process (moved fence lines to nearly double the previously cramped play and learning area. A new double-loop concrete pathway now winds through the space, connecting a learning garden, mud play area, picnic space, an outdoor classroom, a pollinator garden, and many other activity settings. Tire planters and beds filled with perennial, flowering plants, and decorative grasses line the pathway, all within children’s reach. An arbor with flowering vines captures rainwater for irrigation, is a green tunnel for trike riders, and offers shady seating along the pathway.
A large production garden, beyond the licensed area, includes rows of annual vegetables, fruit trees and 160 square feet of fruiting shrubs. Here and in the learning garden, children learn by doing—planting, tending to, and harvesting fruit and vegetables used as snacks and ingredients for center meals (eaten outdoors in summer). Veggies are also sent home with recipe suggestions for families living in the surrounding ‘food desert’. A chicken coop and run were added in 2019. The production garden is managed by a part-time gardener.
A Safe Place invested $16,550 on outdoor improvements during the 3-year POD Wake County process. A Safe Place received a City of Raleigh 2015 Urban Agriculture Award.
POD Wake County is supported by the John Rex Endowment.
We put extra produce out for families to take. The schoolagers talk about the garden with their parents, about eating healthy foods, what foods to buy and how to prepare them.
1. Welcoming deck entrance offers a bowl of succulents, a refreshing, lemon spiked cup of water, take home fruit and vegetables from Elizabeth’s production garden, “happiness” to allcomers. Established in 1996 – a place to grow, learn, play, and explore.
2. To one side of the entrance, Ms. Alle explains how the deck broadens into a shady space for infants, surrounded by greenery, with comfortable seating, soft outdoor carpet, and plenty of toys.
3. Small toddler outdoor space offers a flexible play and learning environment with portable play equipment and elegant playhouse. The heavy shade protects children from too much sunlight but limits plant growth; hence, artificial turf is the all-weather play surface of choice. Inset is toddler teacher, Ms. Charmaine.
4. Preschool fruit and vegetable garden, enclosed by a low, vine-covered fence, is entered on one side by a purple, recycled doorway/arbor and on the other side by a grape-covered arbor (background). The garden supplies the kitchen lunchtime ingredients and snacks for the children. Garden teacher, Ms. Ana discusses garden management with Ms. Jackie, a grandparent volunteer.
5. Multipurpose, all-season preschool pavilion is large enough for active classroom activities. It offers a stage and flexible seating for young performers and audience and comfortable, elegant seating to relax and enjoy the view. To the left is a pollinator garden.
6. The “Butterfly Crossing” pollinator garden was Kim’s capstone project when she took the and NLI certificate program some years ago.
7. Elizabeth’s Garden (named in honor of Kim Shaw’s mother) is a managed production garden supplying the kitchen with 100s of pounds of fresh fruit and vegetables annually for children’s lunch. Ms. Crystal, the cook (left) and Mr. Abram Shaw (right), garden specialist explain how it works, including fresh egg production in the henhouse (off camera, right).
8. The other end of the entry deck offers a comfortable, relaxation corner for parents and staff. Ms. Kim Shaw, Ms. Alle, and Ms. Ana respond to the many queries and comments from NatStart2021 participants.
Childcare Network #59, located in Raleigh, NC, has installed new raised beds in their toddler OLE where the children have enjoyed becoming involved with growing fresh fruits and vegetables. They were especially excited to grow broccoli and learn that broccoli is really a flower that forms on the plant. A new timber sand play area has been installed in the twos and threes OLE, providing a fun new setting for play and exploration. Plans are underway to rework the drainage infrastructure in the preschool OLE, and to install curving, looped concrete pathways in the preschool and toddler OLEs for tricycles and wheeled toys.
Address: 221 East Six Forks Rd, Raleigh, NC 27609-7725 Phone: (919) 277-2017 Website: View NC Star Rating: 5 Capacity: 170
Schematic Master Plan (2016)
Before Renovation (2016)
After Renovation (2018)
Teepee and dramatic play deck
Peach tree provides fruit for children
Acoustic play
Mud kitchen
Toddler looped pathway
Rain barrel for water recycling
Protected plant beds
Raised fruit and vegetable garden by classroom windows
Childcare Network #61, in Raleigh, NC, has expanded gardening opportunities through the POD Wake Co program by constructing U-shaped raised beds where the children help tend vegetables in all seasons.
The center now has 322 square feet of vegetable gardens. Other additions to the edible landscape are 277 square feet of fruiting shrubs and 5 fruit trees. The children play a role in cooking the produce and enjoy trying new vegetables. A favorite activity is harvesting fresh basil in the garden and using it to make pesto – a snack many had never tried before.
Small trees have been planted to improve existing play settings and to help provide shade in the outdoor learning environment. A five-foot foot wide concrete trike track has increased opportunities for physical activity.
In all, a total of $11,000 has been invested at Childcare Network #61 during the course of the POD Wake Co project. In 2015 and 2016, they received a City of Raleigh Urban Agriculture Award.
We had no idea how much the garden would produce. We wouldn’t be eating so many fresh items if we hadn’t grown them ourselves. The children look forward to going outside… they are calmer and run/play with a purpose. Their physical activity has increased.
Schematic Master Plan (2013)
Before Renovation (2013)
After Renovation (2018)
Sensory garden “Caterpillar”
Planting bell peppers in the fruit and vegetable garden
The POD Wake County project was a perfect fit for Holly Springs Academy, located in Holly Springs, NC. This childcare center has a healthy snack philosophy and only serves fresh fruits and vegetables to the children. Much of the produce is sourced from the Little Sprouts Vegetable garden, a large productive garden adjacent to their OLE where the children help to plant, tend, and harvest fresh produce. They have begun to implement their design by removing the unused play equipment fall zone to create an area for a pollinator garden. The addition of a curvy, looped pathway made of Chapel Hill grit in the preschool space helps define the circulation between play settings, and has also led to increased physical activity. Additional play and learning settings including sand play areas have been added to both the preschool and two-year-old space.
Address: 116 Quantum St, Holly Springs, NC 27540 Phone: (919) 552-8331 Website: View NC Star Rating: 5 Capacity: 87
Schematic Master Plan (2016)
Before Renovation (2016)
After Renovation (2018)
Fruit and vegetable garden
Sensory garden with pathway surrounded by colorful plantings
The Jordan Child and Family Enrichment Center, located in the heart of Raleigh, NC, is a part of the Methodist Home for Children and supports the Methodist Home’s goal to provide safe, loving environments for children. The Jordan Child and Family Enrichment Center has created a new garden space featuring raised beds and blueberry bushes in their preschool OLE. Raised beds have been installed in additional outside spaces, greatly increasing their productive space. All age-groups attending the center have exposure to gardening, and gardening curriculum is also tied back in to the classroom. Future plans are in place to install a multi-purpose deck and to rebuild and expand the sand play setting in the toddler space.
KinderCare Learning Center Cary Towne, located in Cary, NC has worked to increase children’s exposure to fresh fruits and vegetables by creating a new garden with raised beds in their preschool space. The garden also features an arbor where they plan to grow productive and flowering vines. The children enjoy participating in helping with planting, tending, harvesting, and their favorite– eating the fresh produce from the garden! KinderCare has installed arbors in their toddler space to create a better transition from the inside of the building to the outdoors, also providing a space for additional fruiting and flowering vines.
Address: 1118 E Maynard Rd, Cary, NC 27511 Phone: (919) 469-0866 Website: View NC Star Rating: 5 Capacity: 99
Exciting developments have taken place at Method Child Development Center, located in Raleigh, NC, with the installation of concrete pathways in their preschool, two-year-old, and infant/toddler OLEs. The new pathways provide space for tricycles and wheeled toys, helping to increase the children’s physical activity and providing connections throughout the OLEs to diverse play and learning settings.A newly installed dry creek bed helps with drainage and also provides a fun setting for the children to play and explore. There are future plans to add more play and learning settings including multi-purpose decks, sand play areas, and arbors.
POD Wake County demonstration center, launched 2013
Johnson Pond Learning Center. Diversity of activity received a large boost in 2014, when looped primary pathways were installed in the preschool area (six-foot wide) and toddler area (five-foot wide).
Volunteer workdays installed trees, shrubs, perennials, and grasses as well as seven new play and learning settings. With guidance from NLI, internal fence alignments were adjusted to increase the school-age area and create a dedicated infant area adjacent to the building.
A designated, 95-square foot production garden, using standard agricultural troughs as raised beds, plus three fruit trees and 48 square feet of fruiting shrubs, engages a new generation of young gardeners in healthy eating each day. Teachers are motivated to test new ideas linking hands-on experience outdoors back to classroom activity.
OLE investments totaled $17,000 during the three-year POD Wake project, 2012-2014.
Address: 6523 Johnson Pond Road, Fuquay-Varina, NC 27526
The kids love talking about the garden! They are excited about it, and the garden extends their science and nature learning. The parents say the kids are more interested in gardening at home.
Schematic Master Plan (2013)
Johnson Pond_Schematic Design Poster
Before Renovation (2013)
Large open lawn prior to installing primary pathway.
Excavating for the primary pathway (2014).
After Renovation (2018)
Partial view of primary pathway bordered by fruit trees and raised beds of vegetables and flowers, with covered sand play beyond.
Partial view of primary pathway bordered by fruit trees and raised beds of vegetables and flowers, with covered sand play beyond.
Aerial view of pre-POD site
Center Director, Laurie Morrison, action planning with NLI staff
Multi-setting up-and-down embankment
Nature play kitchen
Block play setting
Making pinecone bird feeders with NLI staff
Raised-bed production garden in agricultural troughs
