Colorado Springs has a new preschool — one with a classroom unlike any other in El Paso County. The Cheyenne Mountain Zoo's Little Paws Nature Preschool welcomed its inaugural class Monday, August 24, marking the opening of the city's first state-accredited outdoor preschool for young children.

The program is accredited by the Colorado Department of Early Childhood and follows the academic calendar of Cheyenne Mountain School District 12. Unlike traditional preschool classrooms, Little Paws uses CMZoo's trails, habitats, and animal observation areas as the primary learning environment. Children explore nature, develop observation skills, and build early science knowledge through daily outdoor experience at one of Colorado Springs' most beloved institutions.

Nature as the Curriculum

CMZoo's announcement of the program in July emphasized that the curriculum integrates the zoo's living collection into daily learning. Children are not visiting the zoo on field trips — they are enrolled students whose school happens to be situated within CMZoo's grounds. Morning sessions are spent on trails and near animal habitats, with teachers guiding children through structured discovery activities.

Teachers meet Colorado state licensure standards and are director-qualified through the Department of Early Childhood. Class sizes are intentionally small at around 15 students, allowing for individualized attention and the kind of exploratory learning that works well in an outdoor environment.

The program serves 3-year-olds on a Tuesday/Thursday schedule and 4- and 5-year-olds on a Monday/Wednesday/Friday schedule. Both tracks run morning sessions, with the older children's program extending an hour longer each day.

What's Next

Enrollment for Little Paws Nature Preschool is available by contacting LittlePawsPreschool@cmzoo.org. Families interested in the program should also check the CMZoo website at cmzoo.org for updates on availability and any future enrollment windows. The program follows the Cheyenne Mountain School District 12 academic calendar. For COS Parenting coverage of other Colorado Springs preschool and family education news, follow the COS Parenting page for weekly updates.