Hi. My name is Liana Chavarín and I am the founder and director of an all-outdoors nature education program in the San Francisco Bay Area. Since 2011, Berkeley Forest School has provided hundreds of families with outdoor education programs, inclusive to all-abilities, and offering a sliding-scale for all income levels. Growing up in a low-income family in East LA, increasing access to connecting with nature for children and families is my life's passion.

At Berkeley Forest School, we believe children have the right to play, to laugh, to feel big feelings, to splash in puddles and climb trees! Children have the right to grow, to build community, and the right to be supported in a learning environment that is right for them. Children deserve to be seen and loved for the unique person that they are, encouraged, nurtured, and inspired by their environment. Families deserve safety, comfort, and security in their community, which includes access to preschool and childcare programs for every income level. A child with a strong spirit, warm heart, and curious mind is a thriving individual!

After years of self-funding our subsidized tuition model, the need is ever-increasing! As our work carries on to impact even more families, we are turning to our broader community of folks who share these values of inclusivity and want to see this work continue on in the lives of more children and families.

BFS works with a number of children with disabilities, needs, and medical sensitivities. BFS offers a uniquely supportive environment which considers the developmental needs of many children and families who have finally found an environment where they truly thrive. We offer a nurturing network to help support the whole family to grow together in community.

As we know, the cost of living in the Bay Area continues to rise. With recent layoffs in multiple industries, families are facing an increased hardship in making ends meet, which takes on an additional toll for families already working through additional challenges already. We have watched with dismay as multiple job sectors enact rounds of mass layoffs, impacting a family's ability to access childcare and preschool programming that supports their children who deserve stability, joy, and loving care no matter the economic climate.

To meet this goal is only possible through the generosity of our widest network. If you know someone whose life has been enriched by outdoor education, sliding scale tuition models, or high quality early childhood education in general, share our story with them!

We are grateful for the ongoing, unwavering support of the community we serve. We are always stronger, more impactful, and more joyful when we work together to create the world we want to live in. Our collective actions create a ripple effect, which moves and flows throughout a neighborhood, a city, and a society.

Thank you for supporting this vital work!

The funds will be used in the following ways: