Focus Areas:	Children, Education, Environment
Countries Served:	Costa Rica

Description of Services:
The Cloud Forest School, or Centro de Educacion Creativa as it is known locally, is a bilingual school that offers experiential instruction with an emphasis on integrating environmental education into the curriculum. Students from preschool to high school study biodiversity and conservation. By taking responsibility for the school's environment and learning the basic skills of land stewardship, our students are gaining the knowledge, tools and passion to become environmental advocates. The teaching style at the school develops problem solving and creative thinking skills in children so that they are better able to meet the challenges that life brings their way.
History:
In 1989 five young parents representing both North American and Costa Rican cultures began searching for relevant, lasting answers to overcrowding in local schools and the world’s environmental crisis. Late in 1991 the CFS began Kinder and Prepa classes for 28 children on Yvonn and William Vargas' land in Monteverde. 1992 The Nature Conservancy of the United States leased 100 plus acres to the CFS looking toward payment of $189,000 purchase price at 8% interest. This was part of the newly-conceived “Ecological Easement” concept of private protection of property in perpetuity. Late 1990s payments were completed. 1993 The Cloud Forest School Foundation, a 501(c)3 was set up to provide outside support.
Accomplishments & Progress:
Through the years, a tremendous amount of work has gone into the creation of our school. Hundreds of parents, teachers, volunteers, and donors have created this miracle on our mountain, making a major contribution to the children, families, and our forest home. We celebrated our first graduating class in 2005. We currently serve 213 children, pre-school through 11th grade. In 2002, CFS obtained Utilidad Publica, the first private school in Costa Rica to obtain this status. This means that the school is a community focused school, we do not only serve the students who attend our school, but community members at large. We do this by community service projects,parent workshops, and sharing our resources with local schools.