Mayapple School

Who We Are

We are The Mayapple School, a nonprofit early childcare provider for children ages 3-6 in the New River Valley that focuses on using the outdoors to help young minds and bodies grow. Using an integrated, playful curriculum with a focus on outdoor discovery, our students build an awareness of themselves, each other, and the world around us. The Mayapple School nurtures joyful, connected, and resilient children who are masters of their own learning and have a zest for life.

The Mayapple School offers a rich summer camp curriculum for a wide range of ages, including camps to explore dramatic and fine arts, dairy cows and farming, outdoor survival skills, engineering, and imagination and creativity building through exploration of themes like fairies and monsters. 

Fundraising Goals to Meet the Needs of Our Community:

Since our inception in 2015, we have worked diligently on our mission to provide nature education programming. Your donation to The Mayapple School will help to increase accessibility of environmental education in our community. 

In March 2025, we moved to our "forever home," increasing our potential school year and summer camp capacities, as well as increasing the sustainability of our organization and its place in the community. This year, we have 13 summer camp programs planned, providing over 160 week-long outdoor summer camp slots, as well as two preschool classrooms operational during the school year. 

Growing Our Garden:

New in 2025, The Mayapple School's Educational Garden provides a natural compliment to our summertime and school year programming. Children develop a deep connection with natural foods when they grow them and eat them! We are cultivating a vibrant, productive, and educational garden at the Mayapple School! In our garden, children will learn first-hand how to grow annual vegetable crops from seed as well as care for fruiting trees, shrubs, and herbs within a diverse, multi-layered, edible food-forest. Our vision includes garden caretaking by families and community, with start up leadership and expertise from experienced farmers. 

Though we are delighted to have settled into our permanent home off of Prices Fork, unexpected remodeling expenses took a heavy toll on the school's funding. Your donation could have a huge impact on the next generation's understanding of how we feed our communities and nurture our native ecosystem.

Supporting Families with Economic Need:

For the 2025/2026 school year and summer camp, The Mayapple School anticipates offering up to $7,400 in scholarships for families demonstrating financial need. A portion of funds raised here, combined with monies raised at the varied and frequent fundraising events held throughout the year, allow children from all economic backgrounds to benefit from our programs. Providing childcare for all families in our community has always been a high priority, with $6,800 being disbursed during the 2024/2025 school year. 

Our Matching Donors:

We are currently looking for a matching donor. Matching donors incentivize others to give. For example, at the end of Giving Day's 24 hour period on noon at June 26th, The Mayapple School will unlock $1,000 if -- and only if -- we have received $1,000 in other donations by that time.

Thank you for taking the time to consider donating to The Mayapple School. Your donation will help Mayapple continue to serve our community for generations to come!