Anne Stires

Anne Stires, M.Ed., is committed to educational systemic change through community, school, and early childhood initiatives. Founder of Juniper Hill School for Place-Based Education in Alna, Maine, she is now an independent educational consultant working with schools and programs throughout Maine and beyond to support equitable outdoor learning and nature connection. She is a regularly featured speaker at many nature-based and early childhood education conferences and co-facilitates two professional learning communities in Maine–one for public school administrators and the other for early childhood directors. Anne wrote the first chapter for David Sobel’s book, Nature Preschools and Forest Kindergartens: The Handbook for Outdoor Learning (2015) and co-authored the NAEEE/Natural Start Alliance’s Nature-Based Preschool Professional Practices Guidebook (2019). She teaches graduate level courses for Antioch University (in the Nature-based Early Childhood master’s degree and certificate program) as affiliate faculty and serves as an advisor to Inside-Outside: Nature-based Educators’ Network. She also serves on the Board of Directors for Maine GearShare, and chairs the public policy & advocacy committee for Maine Early Childhood Outdoors (MeECO). She loves to go on outdoor adventures with her son and partner.