Meet the Founder/Director/Educator

The Neighborhood is owned and operated by Chelsea Johnston, an early childhood educator with over 15 years of experience in the field. In May 2024, Chelsea earned her Master’s in Nature-Based Early Childhood Education, complementing her Bachelor’s in Art Education and her Head Teacher Certificate for infants, toddlers, preschoolers, and school-age children. In addition to her extensive classroom experience, she spent six years as the Director of Curriculum for a reputable childcare organization, where she oversaw and developed curriculum for twenty locations.

Chelsea's passion for nature-based learning began in 2017 at a retreat hosted by the Eastern Region Association of Forest and Nature Schools, where she was inspired by their outdoor teaching philosophy. This led her to pursue Antioch University’s Master of Education and Certificate program in Nature-Based Early Childhood Education. During this time, she also began studying the Reggio Emilia approach to learning, finding that combining these two philosophies was a perfect fit.

While she hopes to eventually grow The Neighborhood from a family-based preschool into a larger program supporting children of all ages, Chelsea felt it was important to offer her youngest daughter the opportunity to experience a nature-based program before kindergarten, and started with a smaller 6 child model from home.