West Denmark Lutheran Church/WD Woodland School

The West Denmark Woodland School

The West Denmark Woodland School is home to Northwest Wisconsin’s first Forest School, an immersive outdoor experience for preschool-aged children, ages 2 ½–5, where learning takes place outdoors, year-round, rain, snow, or shine, if weather allows.  At the Woodland School, outdoor exploration helps children build an early and abiding connection to nature that provides a foundation for lifelong environmental stewardship. It also promotes critical thinking, safe risk-taking, and knowledge and curiosity about the natural world. Our vision is for all children to be active learners and embrace the outdoors using our extensive woodland and lakeshore grounds (about 5 acres) to enhance learning opportunities. Guided by skilled educators, our children discover the joys of discovery, creativity, and cooperative play amidst rustling leaves and whispering trees.

Opening in Fall 2025 and located near Luck, WI, the West Denmark Woodland School will serve children throughout Polk and Burnett counties. We initially will serve 15-25 children and their families on a full- or part-time basis throughout the year with the goal of expanding to 50 children and their families. This program builds on our highly successful pilot program, sponsored by the Luck Public School District Summer School Program.     

During this Summer School program, the classroom, walls were covered with photos of daily explorations, children’s art, and written narratives of daily events and discussions that parents as well as children and staff revisited. Some of the parent and visitor comments during walk-arounds were: “You did a fantastic job. I love the documentation on the walls. I noticed the children’s comfort sitting on the ground and mucking about on the lakeshore.” Also noted were the children’s observing skills, listening skills, hiking and gross motor skills as well as their environmental awareness, caring for the environment, and awareness of routines. As one staff member summarized the experience: “The children in our Summer School program flourished, and the West Denmark campus was a great facilitator to their exploration and discovery of nature and to their play. Students could be seen hanging from trees, mucking about in the lake, and asking questions about all things outdoors. Overall, it was fantastic to see the woods of West Denmark alive with discovery and appreciation–especially from the youngest of learners!”

The West Denmark Woodland School was founded by three passionate educators (Carrie Petersen, Liz Dodge, and Mary Jensen) who recognized the community need to provide real-life learning opportunities and quality child care for area working families. They currently serve as the Woodland School Mentor Teacher, Interim Administrator, and Interim Director, respectively. We will be hiring additional staff in Summer 2025 for our anticipated Fall opening.

Making an Impact on Our Communities

Rural families face great challenges in finding high-quality, licensed child care, with 3 in 5 communities, including Polk and Burnett Counties, lacking an adequate child care supply (The 2024 Child Care Market Survey, Wisconsin Department of Children and Families).   The availability of affordable child care has a profound effect on parents’ employment as well as their mental and emotional health.

This program will benefit the health of our local communities. Growing up in a thriving community (one where children are in good health and engage in positive social interactions, where funding for local educational programs is good, and where adults are employed), dramatically improves children’s outcomes, even holding fixed their own family’s situation. Moreover, those of us who live in Wisconsin have a legacy of ecology wonder that we can pass on to our next generations. We plan to provide enrolled families with ideas for family nature outings in the broader local community, so that they might expand family connections to nature. In addition, we plan to offer seasonal weekend family outings on the Woodland School property.