Sarah Besse, Co-Founder & Executive Director

Sarah believes that nature and play are essential for children, and her passion is to turn ideas into reality.

Sarah develops innovative early education programs to engage the whole child while fostering joy and creativity. She draws on experiences that have taught her to value connection with nature as essential for the well-being of individuals, communities, and our planet. Sarah's work at BOPN is driven by research showing the benefits of extended time in nature for young children: appreciation for the environment; better agility, balance, and coordination; more imaginative forms of play; stress reduction; and improvements in confidence, social skills, language, motivation, concentration, resiliency, and critical thinking.

Before founding BOPN she taught at a Montessori preschool and reimagined the boat building program at a Boston public school. Moving forward, she is excited to continue expanding access to nature education. Sarah has Montessori certification, an M.S. in Early Childhood Education from Wheelock College, and a B.A. in history from Carleton College.