About Our Preschool:

Cathedral is home to the Eaglet Preschool & Pre-Kindergarten Program, a nationally certified Nature Explore Outdoor Classroom. This dynamic approach focuses on the development of the whole child: Socially, Emotionally, Spiritually, Academically, Physically.

• Faith Formation: Preschool students begin their journey of Faith with a dynamic religious curriculum that includes educational trips to the Cathedral and its grounds, lessons about Church holidays and seasons, presentations by our community's religious, an outdoor prayer grotto, and interactive work using components of Catholic Icing. This instruction acts as both an introduction and exploration to a relationoship with Jesus.
• Exploratory Learning: We take play seriously! Classroom areas are re-imagined throughout the year as students explore nature, writing, art, construction and much more. Students are provided rich learning opportunities through a balance of interest-based exploration and thematic lessons: letters, sounds, numbers, counting, colors and sign language all occur in a fun and open environment.
• Social Development: Many of our Eaglets will soon become full-fledged Cathedral Eagles. As such, a pillar of the preschool program isthe development of social skills for success in and out of the classroom. The ability to share, respect other's space, and work within a group are just a few of the skills children will learn.
• Emotional Development: Developing positive peer relationships and identifying and expressing feelings appropriately are among the skills taught and reinforced. There is a plethora of research on the impact of nature and Nature Explore Outdoor classrooms on the emotional development of children (including reduced incidents of hyperactivity, depression, tantrums, and internalized frustration).

Our nature as humans is to connect with the wonders God made. Our outdoor classroom is predominantly natural materials: tree stumps, bamboo fencing, wall vines, garden beds, interesting native plants, worms, and dirt. This approach carries over to our indoor classrooms, which have less posters and plastic and more natural materials, like stumps, plants and rocks.

Designed by the Nature Explore team, our outdoor classroom project was completed in April 2017.  While Nature Explore Outdoor Classrooms and programs exist across the country, ours is the only one at a Catholic school in Lincoln, Nebraska.