Children’s Discovery Center

The Children’s Discovery Center (CDC) emphasizes the significance of incorporating nature
into children’s daily learning experiences, fostering their imagination, inventiveness, and
initiative through interaction with natural, open-ended materials.

As the sole non-profit preschool in Pinedale offering year-round childcare services, the CDC provides
comprehensive all-day school programs for children aged 2 to 5. The summer program,
spanning June, July, and August, integrates cooperative initiatives and community
involvement, with teachers utilizing weekly themes such as weather, outdoor survival,
insects, and native fish to facilitate practical learning experiences.

Established in 2012 and certified in 2018, the Outdoor Classroom at the CDC features
dedicated spaces for music and movement, nature art, messy materials (both lower and
upper), sand, water, dirt-digging, gathering, biking, climbing, building, kitchen, action
area, and 2 gardening areas. While some areas must temporarily close during winter due to
heavy snowfall, the Outdoor Classroom serves as a dynamic and engaging environment for
children.

The CDC’s commitment to horticulture is evident through its two greenhouses—the Growing
Dome and the Hoop House. Students actively participate in all stages of horticulture, from
soil preparation and seed selection to planting, watering, and tending. The full circle is
completed as students prepare and consume crops in the kitchen classroom during meals
and cooking classes. In the summer the students continue to participate in the local farmer’s
market, where they sell their produce and other goods, showcasing their successful growing season with tomatoes, swiss chard, cucumbers, peppers, carrots, sugar snap peas, herbs, and flowers.

Throughout the year, the CDC hosts events to encourage parent and community
involvement through volunteer efforts in clean-up, maintenance, and gardening activities in
greenhouses and other spaces. The upcoming clean-up/family day in August 2024 aims to
do fence construction for the expanded playground.

The CDC expresses gratitude for its annual financial sponsors, including the Wyoming
Community Foundation, Wyoming Arts Council, Sublette BOCES, Rocky Mountain Power
Foundation, Pinedale Lion’s Club, and numerous anonymous donors, whose support is
instrumental in fulfilling the program’s needs.