About the Founder

Mercedes Rumack

Mariposas Nature Preschool was founded by educator Mercedes Rumack with a simple vision: to create a learning environment where children are truly seen, respected, and supported as whole human beings.

Mercedes was born and raised in a rural village in the province of Buenos Aires, Argentina. Growing up surrounded by nature, art, and education shaped her understanding of childhood as a time for exploration, creativity, and connection with the living world. Her mother was a school teacher and her father a veterinarian and farmer, influences that nurtured both a love for learning and a deep respect for nature and community.

As a young adult, Mercedes traveled and lived in different places and communities around the world. These experiences broadened her perspective on culture, education, and the many ways people learn, live, and relate to one another. Through these journeys she developed a deep curiosity about how environments shape human growth and how children thrive when they are supported with care, creativity, and meaningful opportunities to explore the world around them.

Before creating Mariposas Nature Preschool, Mercedes worked in Buenos Aires offering art therapy programs for children in underserved communities. Through this work she witnessed the powerful role that creativity, relationship, and emotional safety play in children's development. She came to understand that teaching is not simply about delivering knowledge, but about creating environments where children can explore, express themselves, and discover their own strengths.

After later moving to the United States and becoming a mother, Mercedes began to imagine the kind of learning environment she wanted for her own children and for the wider community. This vision eventually became Mariposas Nature Preschool.

Since opening the program in Brookings, Oregon, Mercedes has spent the past four years working daily with young children while developing the approach that guides the school today. Through observation, reflection, and hands-on classroom experience, she created what she now calls The Mariposas Curriculum, a nature-inspired approach to early childhood education that follows the rhythms of the seasons and supports the development of the whole child through meaningful experiences, relationship, and connection with the natural world.

Mercedes continues to guide the program at Mariposas Nature Preschool, where children learn through play, nature exploration, creativity, and community. Her work reflects a deep belief that children grow best when they are supported with warmth, trust, and opportunities to engage with the world in ways that feel alive, purposeful, and joyful.