Kerstin Green 

Director

In 1993 The Rose Garden, a small Waldorf inspired nursery school program, opened in Cooperstown, NY. All 5 of my children attended, and I worked there for 13 years until 2006 when they closed their doors.

I founded Oak Hill Nursery School and in September 2006 five other Rose Garden families joined me and my youngest son Toby for our first year. Our children stayed together for the remainder of their preschool years. Our first class of 6 children was small yet busy, and it became clear that Oak Hill was going to keep going and growing!

With the capable and loving help of several assistants and co-teachers, Oak Hill has seen over 250 children spend their nursery school years and summer days here. We added the half day kindergarten program in 2018, and in September 2020 our all outdoor Forest Program was added to the mix.

As a member of the Waldorf Early Childhood Association of North America, I have attended the WECAN Early Childhood Conference for the past 25 years. I studied Elementary Education and Special Education. Like all my staff I am currently certified in Wilderness First AID and adult, child and infant CPR through the Institute for WildMed.

Oak Hill is home to an AED device.

September 2025 will mark the beginning of our 20th year!

  • Jess

    Our Assistant Director, Jess joined the team at Oak Hill in 2015 during her youngest child’s first year of Nursery school. For the past 9 years Jess has encouraged and nurtured Oak Hill students with her gift of abundant patience and attention to the needs of the quietest and youngest friends.

    Certified backpack, mitten, hat, and water bottle coordinator, bootroom and barn organization wizard, Toilet Whisperer with an advanced degree in Potty Training.

    As a former vet tech Jess is an invaluable resource for the many chickens, cats and dogs who live at Oak Hill!

    Jess holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Social Work. At home she spends time with her husband and two boys, two dogs, a rabbit and two guinea pigs!

  • Molly

    Molly has been working on and off at Oak Hill for the past 7 years. Her love for the early childhood and outdoor arena, has brought her back to us two years ago as a cherished and energetic member of our team. Her crafting skills, creative flair and origami mastery add a wonderfully artisitic perspective to Oak Hill.

    When she is not at Oak Hill, Molly enjoys exploring the outdoors with her husband and pursuing her passion for photography.

  • Alex

    Alex came to us as the parent of an Oak Hill alum, to pilot our new Little Explorers Program. Her love for the outdoors is evident as she nurtures the children’s self confidence and supports their discovery of nature and outdoor play. Her previous work in a variety of early childhood settings has equipped her to slide in seamlessly as a caring, energetic member of the Oak Hill team.

    We also appreciate her height as she is able to pick apples otherwise out of reach to the rest of us!

    Alex holds a Bachelor's degree in Early Childhood Education and a Master’s Degree in School Counseling. At home Alex enjoys spending time outside exploring with her two boys.

  • Cindy

    Retired 1st grade teacher Cindy joined Oak Hill’s dynamic team in 2020, as we took the whole program outdoors for the pandemic. Cindy headed the Home School enrichment program, leading 15 1st-4th graders through the seasons outside, whilst teaching a wide variety of STEM and art topics and experiments!

    Cindy enjoys being summer Camp Counselor and After School Program leader. She enthusuastically joins us in song, makes endless batches of cloud dough and oobleck, bakes the most delicious cookies and displays the best dance moves during freeze dance!