The Nested Nursery Award: Rooted in Science, Growing in Kinship
A Field Report from Nesting Ambassadors in Scotland and Australia
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By Cameron Sprague and Daniel Burton
This document introduces the philosophy, origins, and transformative purpose of the ‘Nested Nursery’ Award, a progressive, tiered framework designed to elevate Early Years settings into true partners for optimal child development.
The ‘Nested Nursery’ Award emerged directly from the success of the beta run of the Nested World Initiative’s Nesting Ambassadors programme, an intensive course organized and led by Lisa Regan and renowned psychological researcher Dr. Darcia Narvaez.
The curriculum for this initiative was deeply informed by the scientific literature published by Kindred Media and, most prominently, by Dr. Narvaez’s ground-breaking work detailed in her book, The Evolved Nest. This work lays out the scientific argument for the nine components all children need for an optimal start to life—a blueprint for developmental well-being.
The idea for translating this deep philosophy into a practical, actionable award system originated with Cameron Sprague, Head of Stramash Outdoor Nurseries, Scotland, and Daniel Burton, CEO/Co-Founder of Educated by Nature, Australia, who recognised the critical need for a framework to guide childcare establishments toward a truly evidence-based, nurturing practice. Both Burton and Sprague are Certified Nesting Ambassadors (see Nested World Initiative).
We recognise that, in almost all situations, the best place for children to be is with their parents. However, the realities of modern life—work, family dynamics, and community needs—create an essential demand for high-quality childcare.
This is where the ‘Nested Nursery’ Award shifts the paradigm. It is designed for centres that want to move beyond simply being a drop-off location and become true partners and advocates for giving children the best start in life.
The award centers on the concept of Alloparenting—shared caregiving within a supportive community. It challenges childcare professionals to become highly attuned, responsive caregivers who are integral members of a child’s Evolved Nest.
To achieve this, successful settings must commit to building positive, reciprocal relationships not only with their families, children, and wider human communities, but also with the more-than-human world around them—the land, water, animals, and plants that are essential to human well-being.
This commitment cannot be a simple ‘tick-box’ exercise. The award is intentionally structured as a progressive process of reflection, learning, and sharing across successive levels, ensuring that a setting’s adoption of these practices is deep, sustainable, and transformative.
To reflect the profound interconnectedness at the heart of the Evolved Nest philosophy, we have chosen the Ash Tree (Yggdrasil) for the various levels of the award. In ancient mythology, Yggdrasil represented the World Tree, symbolising the deep, spiritual, and physical connectedness of all things in the world.
Our hope is that a connected community of ‘Nested Nurseries’, all committed to the components of the Evolved Nest, spreads much like the powerful branches of the mighty World Tree. This community will support children around the world to experience childcare built on the principles of love, freedom, nature, and community, respecting not only each other but also the more-than-human world that sustains us all.
Resources
Learn more about the Evolved Nest Components of Nature Connection, Play, and Welcoming Social Environments in the Nested World Learning Center.
Meet Daniel Burton
Kaya, I’m Daniel Burton, an educator, playwork practitioner, mentor, and co-founder of Educated by Nature. I live, work, and play on Whadjuk Noongar Country in Western Australia, and hold deep respect for the relationship First Nations people have with land, story, and culture. Their ways of being continue to inform and inspire the path I walk in reconnecting with nature, community, and what it means to be human.
I have been working with children in the outdoors for over twenty-five years, working exclusively for Stramash Social Enterprise since 2014. I was originally hired as the founding manager of Stramash Fort William, where I led the nursery’s transformation from a two-acre grass field into a dynamic, child-led outdoor space affectionately known as the ‘Field of Dreams.’ This year, I became the Head of Nurseries for all of Stramash, helping to bring the same passion and magic of the outdoors to all of our settings. I’m a proud husband and dad to my wife, Jenny, and our son, Jack.