EverWild Forest School became the first of its kind in the Treasure Valley when it was founded in 2019 by Boise-based educator and ecologist Erica Hermsen. EverWild Forest School’s popularity blossomed immediately, serving nearly 200 students in its first year alone. This success spurred Erica to broaden her vision, leading to the inception of the National Outdoor Learning Alliance (NOLA) in 2021.

Now operating under NOLA’s umbrella, EverWild Forest School has continued to grow (impacting the lives of over 2,000 children in Idaho’s Treasure Valley to date) by providing high-quality outdoor learning experiences through a variety of partial-day, full-day, and afterschool programs and daycamps.

EverWild Forest School’s pedagogy features hands-on learning experiences coupled with a holistic teaching approach that honors each child’s need for movement, nature connection, and meaningful relationships.

EverWild Forest School is well on its way to nurturing a community of creative, capable, and curious future citizens.

EverWild Forest School is dedicated to creating safe and accessible outdoor education programs that connect children to themselves, their communities, and to the natural world through free play, place-based curriculum, and nature immersion.

Youth are Powerful:
We believe that youth are intelligent, capable, and curious. We create programs that honor their intellect and autonomy, and allow them to be the experts of their own learning journey.

Belonging Builds the Foundation: We believe that a strong sense of place sets a solid foundation from which children can grow into independent and secure individuals. Our programs connect children to the local human and natural communities to develop deep roots from which to bloom.

We are a Global Community:
We focus on the commonalities that bring us together in this human experience, especially our shared responsibility as stewards of the Earth. Our programs prioritize empathy, respect, and understanding, regardless of differences in schools of thought, orientations, cultures, or creeds.

EverWild Forest School is a program of the National Outdoor Learning Alliance, a 501(c)3 nonprofit dedicated to enhancing the academic success and overall well-being of youth nationwide through the power of nature-based education.