ENC Nature Preschool

Home
United States
Newport Beach, CA
ENC Nature Preschool

Directions Website

The ENC Nature Preschool provides education and nature exploration for young children of Orange Coun

Nature preschools housed in environmental education centers present one way to offer positive nature experiences to young children. They provide young children with important opportunities to become familiar with the natural world by playing – and learning – while surrounded by and exploring nature. Nature Preschools provide a safe, stimulating environment where children can reach their full potential physically, emotionally, socially and academically. Statistics show that outdoor play increases fitness and builds active, healthy bodies. Outdoor environments are important to children’s development to independence and autonomy. Children who spend time in nature have better language skills and more self-discipline. Spending time in the open air and learning outside increases students’ ability to think both critically and creatively.

11/05/2026

🌿 Write. Show Up. Stand With ENC.

Thank you to everyone who has already written to Newport Beach City Council on ENC’s behalf! If you haven’t yet, please take a few minutes to share what ENC means to you and ask Council to require significant changes to the proposed development next door.

📧 [email protected]
Find writing suggestions at encenter.org/take-action/

Then join us November 17 at 4 PM. Your presence will help show Council how much our community values the habitat and outdoor learning experiences nurtured here for more than 50 years.

Want to wear your support? Protect ENC T-shirts are available in unisex, women’s, and children’s sizes, along with buttons and stickers, in our Nature’s Gifts shop. Everything is offered at our cost, with no profit to ENC, to help spread awareness and show our community’s support.

Stop by the shop this weekend, 10 AM–3 PM, to pick yours up. Wear your Protect ENC shirt to the hearing, or any ENC shirt you already own. Everyone is welcome, whatever you wear! 💚
📅 Tuesday, November 17 • 4 PM
📍 Newport Beach City Council Chambers
100 Civic Center Drive

Learn more: https://encenter.org/take-action/

11/05/2026

🌿 More Than 50 Years of Nature Education. A Future Worth Protecting.

Since 1972, generations of staff, volunteers, donors, and families have helped nurture ENC’s native habitat, mature trees, and outdoor classrooms. This living landscape cannot be quickly replaced or recreated elsewhere.

On November 17, Newport Beach City Council will hear our appeal of the Planning Commission’s 4–2 decision approving the development at 1501 E. 16th Street, immediately adjacent to ENC and ENC Nature Preschool.

Despite modifications, the proposed buildings remain approximately 44 feet tall, bringing a wall of residential structures beside our outdoor learning spaces.

Please write to City Council and ask for significant changes before the project moves forward.

📧 [email protected]

Your message can be short and personal:
🌿 Share what ENC means to you.
🌿 Explain why protecting its habitat, natural setting, and children’s privacy and safety matters.
🌿 Ask for reduced building heights, greater separation from ENC and the Nature Preschool, and effective screening.

We appreciate the changes made so far, but significant additional changes are necessary to protect what our community has spent more than half a century building.

Please also stand with us at the appeal hearing:
📅 November 17 at 4 PM
📍 Newport Beach City Council Chambers
100 Civic Center Drive

Find more information and writing suggestions at https://encenter.org/take-action/

Correspondence with City Council may become part of the public record.

11/04/2026

🌿 Two Weeks to Go. A Place Worth Protecting.

This Election Day reminds us how much community participation matters. Here in Newport Beach, another opportunity to speak up for a place we love is just two weeks away.

On November 17, City Council will hear our appeal of the proposed development at 1501 E. 16th Street, immediately adjacent to ENC and ENC Nature Preschool. We’re asking for meaningful changes to protect the natural setting, privacy, habitat, and outdoor learning experiences that make ENC so special.

Please save the date and stand with us. Your presence can help show Council how much this place means to our community.

📅 Tuesday, November 17, at 4 PM
📍 Newport Beach City Council Chambers
100 Civic Center Drive

Invite a friend and learn more: https://encenter.org/take-action/

11/03/2026

🌿 Native Plant Tip Tuesday: Water Wisely! 💧

Did you bring home some new California natives from our recent plant sale? We've already been getting questions about watering, so let's talk about keeping those new plants happy!

California native plants are famously drought-tolerant, but here's the catch: Newly planted natives aren't established yet!

🌱 Today's tip: Water deeply while your plants establish their roots. Most newly planted natives need supplemental watering during their first year, especially when rainfall is scarce. Don't assume that because a plant is drought-tolerant, it can survive without water right after planting!

💧 How often? There's no one-size-fits-all schedule. Soil type, weather, drainage, and the plant itself all matter. Check the soil around the root ball and water thoroughly when it's beginning to dry, rather than giving it a little sprinkle every day. Avoid keeping the soil constantly soggy.

🌧️ As winter rains arrive and roots become established, you can gradually reduce supplemental watering.

What about established native gardens?

Our friends at the California Native Horticulture Foundation have some great advice! Native plant expert Mike Evans shares his Deep Soak + Refreshing Sprinkles (DS + RS = Success) method for maintaining established native gardens during Southern California's dry season.

It's a wonderful reminder that watering wisely means understanding what your plants need at different stages of their lives.

📖 Read Mike's watering tips in the May 2026 edition of CalNativeHort CONNECT. https://calnativehort.org/may-2026-connect/

11/03/2026

🌿 Help Us Protect Their Outdoor Classroom!

Despite modifications to the plans, the proposed residential development immediately adjacent to the ENC and ENC Nature Preschool remains approximately 44 feet tall, just feet from our property line. We continue to have serious concerns about child safety and the development’s long-term impacts on our natural setting, privacy, open sky, habitat, and outdoor education programs.

Compare the current view with the developer’s own illustration of the proposed development. The rendering depicts new trees after ten years of growth. Many of our existing riparian trees are deciduous and provide virtually no screening from late fall through early spring.

While we appreciate the developer’s efforts to address some of our concerns, we do not believe the modifications adequately protect this treasured natural space.

On Tuesday, November 17, at 4 PM, the Newport Beach City Council will hear our appeal. We need you to stand with us! Please mark your calendar, invite a friend, and help us show Council how much ENC means to our community.

📍 Newport Beach City Council Chambers
100 Civic Center Drive

🌿 Learn how you can help: https://encenter.org/take-action/

11/01/2026

🍂 Finding Gratitude in Nature's Small Wonders

Sometimes the greatest gifts are the simplest: a beautiful stone, the warmth of the morning sun, or the quiet sounds of nature.

This November, we're celebrating the season of gratitude at Nature's Gifts with the beloved nature-inspired books of Byrd Baylor, beautifully illustrated by Peter Parnall, and our Plant of the Month, Island Alumroot (Heuchera maxima), a lovely California native that brings year-round beauty to shady gardens. 🌿

Stop by Nature's Gifts at the ENC and ENC Tucker Wildlife Sanctuary to discover something wonderful for yourself or someone you love. Every purchase supports environmental education!

10/31/2026

We need you to stand with us one more time. 💚

The Newport Beach Planning Commission voted 4–2 to approve the development at 1501 E. 16th Street, next door to the Environmental Nature Center and ENC Nature Preschool. But that approval has been appealed, and we have another opportunity to ask the Newport Beach City Council to require meaningful changes.

We continue to have serious concerns about the project’s scale and proximity and its long-term impacts on the natural setting, privacy, open sky, habitat, and educational experiences that make ENC so special.

Please save the date and join us. Whether you’ve spoken up before or are getting involved for the first time, your presence matters.

📅 Tuesday, November 17, at 4 p.m.
📍 Newport Beach City Council Chambers
100 Civic Center Drive

Learn more and stay updated: https://encenter.org/take-action/

Please share this invitation and bring someone who cares about ENC.

10/29/2026

What an incredible day! 🍂🎃

Our 50th Annual Fall Faire & Pumpkin Patch was a wonderful celebration of community, nature, and 50 years of Fall Faire memories!

A HUGE thank you to everyone who helped make the day possible! To our amazing volunteers who gave their time and energy, our generous event sponsors, our delicious Savor OC participants, and the many businesses, artists, and individuals who donated to our Silent Auction, we couldn't have done it without you!

And of course, thank you to the thousands of friends, families, and neighbors who joined us to celebrate and support environmental education at the ENC. Seeing so many people enjoying this special place is what makes all the hard work worthwhile. 💚

📸 Special thanks to Mariano Alvarez, who captured these wonderful images!

Thank you for being part of the ENC community. Here's to the next 50 years! 🌿

10/27/2026

🌿 Native Plant Tip Tuesday: Let's Get Planting! 🌱

Did you bring home some new California natives from our plant sale on Saturday? Now comes the fun part: getting them into the ground!

Fall is one of the best times to plant California natives. Cooler temperatures and the arrival of winter rains give new plants a chance to establish their roots before next summer's heat.

🌱 Today's tip: A little care during planting can make a big difference in your plant's long-term success!

Not sure where to start? We've got you covered! Watch our step-by-step video on planting California natives and give your new additions a great start.

🎥 Watch here: https://youtu.be/jzDf3nomkFI

And stay tuned! Next week's Native Plant Tip Tuesday will tackle one of the questions we're hearing most often: How frequently should I water my new native plants? 💧

Happy planting!

10/24/2026

🌿 The plants are here, and we're ready for you!

TODAY is our California Native Plant Sale Day at the Environmental Nature Center!

Fall is the perfect time to plant California natives, and we've got a wonderful selection ready to find new homes. Whether you're creating habitat for pollinators, adding a little color to your garden, or looking for something special to tuck into that empty spot, come see what we've got!

🌱 Saturday, October 24
🌱 10 AM–3 PM
🌱 10% off plants for ENC & CNPS members!

Plus, visit with our friends from the California Native Plant Society, Orange County Chapter.

Come get inspired, ask questions, and take home a little piece of California's natural beauty!

📍 Environmental Nature Center, Newport Beach
🌿 encenter.org

Address

745 Dover Drive
Newport Beach, CA
92663

Website

https://linktr.ee/encnaturepreschool

Alerts

Be the first to know and let us send you an email when ENC Nature Preschool posts news and promotions. Your email address will not be used for any other purpose, and you can unsubscribe at any time.