The Nest · Homeschool Families
No — The Nest is instructional classes, not child care. Ages 4–10, a planned curriculum, an instructor leading every session, and a written not-licensed disclosure to every family before enrollment. Here's exactly what that means.
The short answer
No. The Nest offers instructional classes; it is not a licensed child-care facility and does not provide child care. Every session is a taught class with a planned curriculum and an instructor leading it — story, art, and nature themes for mixed-age groups of children 4–10, held Tuesday and Thursday daytime in 14-week semesters.
Texas allows certain instructional programs, an art class or a nature class among them, to run without a child-care license, on the condition that families get a written disclosure and every adult who works with the children passes a background check. We're at 2541 Bulverde Road on the US-281 corridor in northern Comal County, opening late spring 2027, with the first children's semester in fall 2027.
The Fox & The Owl · 2541 Bulverde Road, Bulverde, TX 78163 · (979) 236-1141 · [email protected]
What The Nest actually is
The Nest is our children's studio at The Fox & The Owl, running semester classes for ages 4–10 in mixed-age cohorts (4–6, 6–8, 8–10). Each session follows a planned curriculum — story and folktale work in The Lore Keepers, hands-on nature exploration in The Wild Path — led start to finish by an instructor. Fall semester runs the week of September 1 through the second week of December; spring semester starts the second full week of January, both 14 weeks.
That's the distinction that matters legally and practically: a class has a curriculum, a start time, and an end time. Child care, by contrast, is open-ended supervision without an instructional program behind it. The Nest is built and marketed as the former.
The legal framework
Texas exempts certain single-skill instructional programs — an art class or a nature class among them — from child-care licensing. The exemption comes with four conditions, and The Nest is built around all four:
Every description of The Nest uses "classes," "enrichment," and "taught curriculum with an instructor" — never "child care," "drop-off," or "babysitting." That's not a style choice; it's the line the exemption depends on.
Families get it in writing before enrollment: The Nest offers instructional classes, is not a licensed child-care facility, and does not provide child care.
A Texas Department of Public Safety background check on every staff member and volunteer who works with the children is a statutory requirement of this exemption, not an optional policy.
The exemption is filed with the state (HHSC Form 2833) before classes begin. It's a filing, not a license — The Nest is exempt from licensing, not licensed.
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What this means day to day
Each Nest session runs to a fixed start and end time on the semester schedule, the same as any class you'd enroll a child in elsewhere — a dance studio, a swim program, a co-op class. There's no hourly or drop-in child-care option, and no version of The Nest that functions as all-day supervision. If your family needs open-ended child care, The Nest isn't built to be that, and we'd rather be clear about it now than after you've enrolled.
What The Nest is well suited for: a weekly homeschool-friendly rhythm, a mixed-age group where older kids mentor younger ones, and a set window twice a week you can plan the rest of your day around.
While your child is in class
Because a Nest session runs on the same grounds as our other spaces, many parents use the class window for their own time instead of leaving the property. A Discovery Pass, $79 a month at introductory pricing, carries class credits you can use at The Wilder Studio or The Aerie Studio during the same hour your child is in a Lore Keepers or Wild Path session.
Nest & homeschool questions
No. The Nest offers instructional classes; it is not a licensed child-care facility and does not provide child care. Every session is a taught class with a planned curriculum and an instructor leading it, held in set semester blocks rather than open-ended hours.
Texas allows certain single-skill instructional programs, like an art class, a nature class, or similar enrichment instruction, to operate without a child-care license. In exchange, the program must disclose in writing to every family that it is not licensed or regulated as a child-care operation. The Fox & The Owl provides that written disclosure before enrollment.
Yes. A Texas Department of Public Safety background check on every staff member and volunteer who works with children in The Nest's classes is a statutory requirement of this exemption, not an optional policy.
The Nest is built as a class you enroll your child in for the semester, with a fixed start and end time each session, not as supervised care you can book by the hour. Most parents use the class window for their own time on the same grounds rather than leaving the property.
The Fox & The Owl's other spaces are on the same grounds. A Discovery Pass, $79 a month at introductory pricing, carries class credits you can use at The Wilder Studio or The Aerie Studio during the same window your child is in a Nest class.
Questions before you enroll
If you have a question about how The Nest works, the disclosure, or the semester schedule, a quick call is the fastest way to get a straight answer before enrollment opens.
See the full class lineup: The Nest · Homeschool rhythm in detail: Homeschool art & nature classes · More FAQ: FAQ · Your own time while kids are in class: Clubs & memberships