Now enrolling our interest list
Arrowhead
Explorers
Growing Curious Minds Through Nature & Play.
Family Childcare · Ages 18 Months–School Age · North Waterboro, ME
Meg — owner & provider
Hello from the woods
I’m Meg, and I’m building the childcare I was looking for.
As a mom of three boys — 15, 4, and 3 — I know what it feels like to search for care and hope it feels like an extension of your own home. Somewhere small. Somewhere warm. Somewhere your child is known by name.
I’ve been caring for children since I was a teenager — babysitting, summers as a camp counselor, then nannying when my first son was born. In between I worked in healthcare, where I learned to stay calm when something goes wrong, and I’ve kept my CPR certification current ever since.
Arrowhead Explorers is a nature-based family childcare program in North Waterboro, Maine. We’re keeping the group small on purpose, so days can move at a child’s pace — with time to dig, wonder, ask the same question four times, and get properly muddy.
Most of our learning happens outside. The rest happens on the rug with a stack of books and a snack.
Children don’t need to be entertained every minute. They need a safe grown-up, good boots, and permission to be curious.
— Meg
A day with us
Our days follow a rhythm, not a schedule.
Children settle when they know what comes next. Ours is predictable enough to feel safe and loose enough to follow a good idea when one shows up.
- Arrival
Slow starts & soft landings
Hooks, boots, hellos, and quiet play while everyone arrives. We share a morning snack together around 8:30 — nobody gets rushed through the door.
- Morning
Outside, whatever the sky is doing
By 9:00 we're out — trails, woods, the playground, mud, buckets, snow. Around 11:00 we gather for circle: stories, songs, and a little early literacy.
- Midday
Lunch, then a good long rest
Packed lunches at a real table around 11:45, then rest and quiet time — a nap for those who need one, a book for those who don't.
- Afternoon
Snack, then making things
An afternoon snack around 2:00, then the making part of the day — art, sensory play, nature science — before we head back outside for free play.
- Pick-up
The handoff, with details
Between 4:00 and 5:00, with a day recap: what they ate, what they found, and who they played with. Not a summary — the actual story.
Times shift with the children, the weather, and what we're exploring that day.
Our Programs
Programs for Every Explorer
Thoughtful, play-based programs for children approximately 18 months through school age. Each one grows with your child.
Little Explorers
Approximately 18 months – 3 years
First discoveries, big feelings, and lots of gentle guidance.
- Sensory play
- Language development
- Music & movement
- Simple art
- Outdoor exploration
- Early independence
- Comforting routines
- Social-emotional learning
Explorers
Approximately 3 – 5 years
Curiosity-led learning through stories, nature, and imagination.
- Early learning through play
- Stories & early literacy
- Letters & numbers woven into activities
- Art & creativity
- Nature & science exploration
- Imaginative play
- Kindergarten readiness — without a rigid academic environment
Adventure Club
School age
Big kids are explorers too.
- Before-school care
- After-school care
- Afternoon snack
- Outdoor play
- Homework & quiet time
- Creative activities
- Friendships
- School-vacation days (possible in the future)
Before & after-school care options are planned, with neighborhood bus access being explored. (We can't promise direct school transportation, but the Lake Arrowhead neighborhood bus stop is nearby.)
Summer Explorers
Warm-weather program
Sunshine, gardens, and outdoor adventures.
- Nature days
- Gardening
- Outdoor & water play
- Crafts
- Summer reading
- Scavenger hunts
- Nature science
Why nature-based
The woods are the classroom.
Outdoor learning isn’t a nice extra we add on when the weather cooperates. It’s how the whole program is built — and it’s balanced with story time, early literacy, and plenty of hands-on projects.
Bodies that know what they can do
Climbing, balancing, hauling, digging. Real risk in safe amounts is how children build coordination — and the confidence that comes with it.
Questions before answers
Why is that log soft? Where did the frog go? Curiosity grows when children have time to notice things — and a grown-up who takes the question seriously.
Kindness, practiced daily
Small groups mean conflicts get worked through, not managed around. Sharing a trail, waiting a turn, helping someone up — the lessons that stick.
“There’s no such thing as bad weather. Only the wrong mittens.”
Everyday adventures
Little hands, big adventures.
Most of our day is spent outside — in the yard, on the trails, and at a neighborhood playground a short walk away.
A short walk from everything
Our own fenced backyard play space, with woods beyond — plus a neighborhood playground, the beach, and the school-bus stop, all a short walk away.
Water play, all summer
When it’s warm, we love water play — sprinklers, water tables, and splashing outside.
Tuition & enrollment
Simple, predictable, and worth it.
Choose the number of days that fit your week. Tuition is billed weekly and holds your child’s spot — Monday through Thursday, 7:00 AM – 5:00 PM.
| Weekly | Under 2 | 2 – school age |
|---|---|---|
| 4 daysMon–Thu · our full-time | $240 | $215 |
| 3 daysyour choice of days | $195 | $175 |
| 2 daysyour choice of days | $140 | $125 |
Children under two need a lower caregiver-to-child ratio under Maine's licensing rules, which is why those places cost a little more.
School-age care
- Sibling discount — 10% off the younger child's tuition.
- $75 one-time registration fee per family.
- A deposit of two weeks' tuition holds your place, applied to your final two weeks.
- Tuition reserves your child's spot, so it stays the same during vacations, illness, and holidays.
Rates are set while we complete Maine's family childcare licensing process, and are confirmed in your enrollment agreement.
What’s included
- Morning and afternoon snacks
- All art, sensory, and activity supplies
- Outdoor time every single day
- Photos and a short note about your child's day
- A small, consistent group and one steady caregiver
Pack a lunch, a water bottle, a spare set of clothes, and boots you don’t mind losing to the mud.
FAQ
Frequently Asked Questions
Answers to the questions families ask most. Have another? We’d love to hear from you.
18 months through school age. Weekly tuition is split into two age groups — under 2, and 2 through school age — because Maine licensing requires a lower caregiver-to-child ratio for the littlest ones.
A four-day week keeps the group small, the program well-planned, and the caregiver rested — which is what makes the other four days good ones.
Yes — two- and three-day families choose their days, subject to what's open. Consistent days work best for children, so we keep the same schedule week to week.
We go out anyway, dressed for it — that's rather the point. We stay in for thunderstorms, extreme cold, and poor air quality, and we always come in when a child has had enough.
No. We work alongside you at your child's pace and keep it low-pressure. Just send diapers, wipes, and plenty of spare clothes.
We provide a morning snack and an afternoon snack. Parents pack a lunch and a water bottle, and we sit down to eat together around 11:45.
Labeled weather gear (boots, mittens, snow pants, rain suit), a full change of clothes (two in mud season), a packed lunch and water bottle, a nap blanket or comfort item, diapers/wipes/cream if needed, and sunscreen and bug spray in season.
Yes. Before or after school is $28/day, before and after is $42/day, and full days on school vacations or no-school days are $52/day. The neighborhood school-bus stop is a short walk from the house.
Tuition is due weekly, by Monday morning, for the week ahead, and it reserves your child's spot — so it stays the same during vacations, illness, and holidays. There's a $75 one-time registration fee, plus a deposit of two weeks' tuition that's applied to your final two weeks.
For a fever of 100.4°F or higher, vomiting or diarrhea, an unexplained rash, or anything contagious. Children can come back once they've been 24 hours symptom-free without medication.
We generally follow RSU 57 for full storm closures; a delayed opening usually just means a slower morning here, and I'll message you by 6:00 AM either way. We're closed for the major holidays, any other planned closure is announced 30 days ahead, and tuition is unchanged during holiday weeks.
Yes — cats indoors, and our dog has his own fenced section of the yard, so the children's play space stays theirs. Please tell us about any allergies.
We're opening with a very small group while we complete Maine's family childcare licensing process, then growing carefully. Join the interest list and we'll reach out in order as places open.
It's a home childcare program that weaves age-appropriate early learning — reading, letters, creativity, and kindergarten-readiness — into a play-based, mostly-outdoor day.
Join the Interest List
Save your family’s spot on our interest list.
Arrowhead Explorers is currently building its interest list for Lake Arrowhead and North Waterboro families. Share a little about your family and we’ll reach out as enrollment details become available.
- No obligation — this simply adds you to our list
- Be among the first to know when we open
- We'll share tuition, availability, and next steps
Prefer to reach out directly?
- lacexplorers@gmail.com
- Follow us on Facebook
- Located in the Lake Arrowhead community of North Waterboro, Maine. Exact location provided to enrolled families.