What They Are Saying…
LEADERSHIP
“As a former principal, I will always remember walking through the school in awe of seeing every classroom outdoors and deeply engaged. Anne’s approach is both supportive and empowering. She provides educators with the tools to manage outdoor lessons, integrate curriculum standards, and create engaging experiences in natural environments. She brings a palpable passion to outdoor learning and student engagement. Anne brings a passion to outdoor learning and connecting with children that can be felt. She empowers educators to expand their confidence and skills, bridging classroom learning with nature connection confidently. Working with Anne is a breath of fresh air. She truly understands the challenges public schools face and is always ready to roll up her sleeves and work alongside us to improve outcomes for children.”
— Marie Robinson, Superintendent, Bangor Public Schools, ME
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I am honored to share my support with the incredible services provided by Anne Stires, as a Nature Connection Educational Consultant. Anne has been a transformative and positive impact on the Bath YMCA Enrichment Program and how we engage with nature. Through Anne’s guidance, mentorship, and hands-on support, our teaching staff has been inspired to embrace nature-based educational opportunities in ways that have truly transformed our program. What once felt like occasional outdoor play has evolved into intentional, meaningful learning experiences rooted in exploration, curiosity, and connection to the natural world. Anne’s approach has empowered teachers to see nature not simply as a backdrop, but as a classroom in itself. Anne has modeled how everyday outdoor moments — observing insects, collecting leaves, noticing weather changes, digging in the soil — can become rich opportunities for literacy, science, math, and social-emotional growth. As a result of our work with Anne for staff development and consultation, we have seen children become more engaged, more inquisitive, and more resilient. They are developing problem-solving skills, teamwork, and a deep respect for the environment. Teachers report increased enthusiasm from students and risk-taking, and families have noticed their children talking excitedly about their outdoor experiences at home. Most importantly, this work has strengthened our teaching team. It has reminded us why we do what we do — to nurture curiosity, foster connection, and create joyful learning experiences for the children in our care. The inspiration and professional development provided have had a lasting and meaningful impact on both our staff and the children we serve.
— Annie Colaluca, Executive Director of Early Learning and Family Services, Bath YMCA
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As Berwick Academy’s Lower School Director, I cannot speak highly enough about the positive partnership our Pre-K through Grade 4 learning community has shared with Anne Stires since the fall of 2021. From the outset, she has worked with intention and purpose to help us design and implement outdoor curricular experiences that are deeply engaging, authentic in approach, and rooted in our local environment—an essential foundation for our inquisitive and concrete-based learners. Just as importantly, the structures she has helped us build are sustainable within the varied and evolving demands of today’s educational landscape. What distinguishes Anne is her rare ability to hold the larger vision of teaching and learning while simultaneously attending to the essential micro-elements that make instruction meaningful for elementary students. She understands systems and strategy, yet she never loses sight of the developmental needs of young children or the practical realities facing classroom teachers. Her work with students is marked by a thoughtful presence and a joy that is genuinely infectious. With faculty, she brings sensitivity and encouragement—meeting each educator wherever they are in their comfort level with outdoor learning. She creates space for growth, building confidence through modeling, collaboration, and reflection. Anne is also a proactive and highly responsive problem-solver. She thoughtfully adapts to the specific needs, culture, and setting of an institution while upholding the core values of outdoor education. One teacher, inspired by Anne’s leadership, captured her impact beautifully: ‘When I bring children outside or bring something in from outside, I want to feel like I’m being more intentional about it—where does it fit into the broader network of goals and experiences we’re trying to realize?’ This reflection speaks to the professional growth Anne cultivates in educators—growth that meaningfully translates into enriched student learning and lasting, positive outcomes.
— Joel Hawes, Lower School Director, Berwick Academy, Berwick, ME
PARTNERSHIP
“For more than five years, the partnership that we, at Educare Central Maine, have formed with Anne Stires, has truly shaped who we are as a school community. Anne isn’t just a consultant to us—she’s a trusted partner and an inspiration. Her passion for supporting teachers in bringing meaningful, nature-based experiences to children from birth to age six is evident in everything she does. Our staff genuinely look forward to every opportunity to learn with Anne, whether she’s joining us in person or virtually. She brings warmth, encouragement, and contagious enthusiasm into our building, making everyone feel capable and supported. Because of her guidance—especially around embracing risky play and creating rich, hands-on outdoor learning—our teachers have grown in confidence and courage. They step outside more often, say “yes” to exploration, and trust both themselves and the children in new ways. Anne’s impact reaches far beyond professional development days. She has helped us cultivate a culture where nature is woven into our daily practice and where both children and educators thrive outdoors. We are deeply grateful for her partnership and the lasting difference she continues to make in our community.”
— Erica Palmer, Education Manager, Educare Central Maine, Waterville, ME
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“What Anne has brought to Berwick Academy’s Lower School has been truly monumental. Her work with our educators has transformed the way we think about teaching both indoors and out, challenging us to reconsider how, what, and where we teach. Anne has guided us in taking ownership of our place-based curriculum, helping us cultivate meaningful, authentic connections to nature and the outdoors. With a thoughtful emphasis on safety and real-world application, she has established structures and systems that not only support our work today but will continue to guide us for years to come. Beyond her impact on faculty, Anne has built meaningful, lasting relationships with our Lower School students through her work in the outdoor classroom. She sparks curiosity, deepens understanding, and reminds us all students and teachers alike that the power of knowledge, wonder, and learning is rooted in the natural world.
— Meg Kenter (Lower School teacher) & Eleanor Summers (literacy specialist), Berwick Academy, ME
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“For the past four years, Anne has served as our PreK–4th Grade Coordinator of Teaching & Learning at Fiddlehead School, and I can say without hesitation that her leadership has been transformative for our elementary program. Anne brings a rare combination of deep instructional knowledge and genuine care for children. She understands curriculum, assessment, and pedagogy at a high level — but what truly sets her apart is how she connects that knowledge to the lived experience of our students and teachers and our whole child approach. She leads with both heart and passion. As a colleague, Anne is steady, thoughtful, and persistent. I have relied on her insight in moments of growth and in moments of challenge. She has helped us strengthen alignment across grade levels, elevate instructional practice, and build a culture where teachers feel supported. Anne has an incredible ability to hold high expectations while maintaining warmth and encouragement. She believes deeply in children’s potential, and that belief shows up in her work. Anne’s impact on Fiddlehead School has been lasting and deeply meaningful. I recommend her without reservation and with sincere gratitude for the leadership she has provided to our community.”
— Jacinda Cotton-Castro, Founder & Executive Director, Fiddlehead School of Arts and Sciences, Gray, ME
INSPIRATION
“Anne is one of the most passionate, inspirational, and pragmatic leaders in the children and nature movement — a combination of qualities that is rare in any single person. Rarer still is the opportunity to work with someone so genuine, kind, and caring. Anne came to me with the highest recommendation as "the best of the best" in nature-based preschool education. She exceeded even that billing. Her vision and guidance helped inspire the Board of Directors to open the second licensed nature preschool in Colorado, and her expertise helped the Thorne staff learn to operate the program with equal attention to teacher experience and student outcomes. Today, Thorne Nature Preschool is, in my opinion, one of the finest nature preschools in the country — and it would not be where it is without Anne's encouragement and wisdom.”
— Keith Desrosiers, Chief Development Officer, Children and Nature Network, CA (Former Executive Director, Thorne Nature Experience, CO)
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Working with Anne Stires has been an absolute pleasure. Her expertise in nature-based practices and program administration is unmatched, and she brings a thoughtful, strategic approach to advocacy and professional development. Anne has been leading nature-based initiatives across Maine for years, and her warm, welcoming, and highly collaborative style makes every project feel supported and inspired. I am continually impressed by her dedication, knowledge, and the positive impact she has on educators and programs alike.
— Anne Adams, Network Coordinator, Maine Early Childhood Outdoors
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Anne worked at our school for two years, and she was instrumental in helping us bring meaningful outdoor experiences to our students. She worked with teachers and students in many capacities. Most often, she would help implement outdoor learning experiences linked to our curriculum, and then she would work directly with classes to teach the kids. She would also help teachers to tailor outdoor learning to meet their own vision and goals. Anne has been so helpful to me in planning and implementing reading and writing instruction using the outdoors as both a backdrop and as a central part of my curriculum. We worked on a consultation basis because I had previous outdoor education experience. Anne sat with me for a few half hour sessions to support my work in literacy. She helped me find an excellent outdoor based reading program which allowed me to integrate outdoor learning which includes examples such as "alphabet scavenger hunt with letter sounds" and a bird unit that offers both fiction and non-fiction nature themed reading and writing materials. She was also instrumental in helping me to more effectively integrate Native American culture into my literacy lessons. For example, we learn about Wampanoag seashore gathering while we read and write about local shellfish and tidepools. We also use the "three sisters" planting method as we do a literacy unit on gardening. I am deeply appreciative of Anne's support. Whether it is planning a full outdoor lesson based on the science of reading or just catching her in the hallway for a quick question about how to make a Baltimore oriole feeder, Anne has enriched the lives of everyone in our community with the wealth of knowledge she offers about outdoor learning.
— Deb Williams, Special Education teacher, Mitchell Primary School, Kittery, ME