Journal of Agricultural Informatics (ISSN 2061-862X) 2021 Vol. 12, No. 1:24-31 doi: 10.17700/jai.2021.12.1.608 24 Georgios Tsekouropoulos, Paraskevi Kalouli, Zacharoula S. Andreopoulou :Pre-school education close to natural environment. Studying parameters on parental choice and dedication Hungarian Association of Agricultural Informatics European Federation for Information Technology in Agriculture, Food and the Environment Journal of Agricultural Informatics. Vol. 12, No. 1 journal.magisz.org Pre-school education close to natural environment: Studying Parameters on Parental Choice and Dedication Georgios Tsekouropoulos 1 , Paraskevi Kalouli 2 , Zacharoula S.Andreopoulou 3 I N F O Received 12.04.2021 Accepted: 10.05.2021 Available on-line: 15.06.2021 Responsible Editor: L. Varallyai Keywords: natural environment, pre- school education, decision parameters, outdoor spaces, non-urban learning areas. A B S T R A C T Preschool is a period of rapid development of skills and learning, the infant learns through family, school and especially through exploring the natural environment. The child, playing in an outdoor environment close to natural environment, naturally develops his talents, his creativity but also many motor skills, which otherwise, indoor learning environments would not give so many opportunities. Outdoor learning environments in natural environments contribute significantly to the learning of children, especially young children. This paper explains the importance of designing learning environments close to natural environment, something that parents have realized and now consciously choose such environments for their children's learning and development. This article examines the parameters involved, in detail which of the 7ps' elements of Educational Marketing most influence the choice of parents with children in East Thessaloniki to make decisions about their children attending Private Kindergartens with large yards, away from the urban environment and in areas close to natural environment and natural areas. The results of the research show that these parents are of a high educational level, graduates of a University or Technological Institute, with a Master's degree or Doctorate. Also, when parents are satisfied with the quality of the school space, the existence of pedagogical materials and toys for the employment of children, the existence of an outdoor large yard and outdoor activities with infrastructure and facilities away from the urban environment and close to natural environment then they choose this Pre-school education for their child's attendance, they recommend it voluntarily to acquaintances and friends and would choose their child to continue attending to a next level of education such as Primary School if there was one. 1. Introduction The pre-school years of a child are the basis of healthy personality development, but also of the socio-emotional and cognitive abilities of the person (Katz, 1999). For better development of children, we should invest in learning programs that are supported in both social and physical environments. Pre-school is a period of rapid development of skills and learning, the infant learns through family, school and especially through the exploration of the natural environment (W.H.O. 2007). A school institution with very good facilities and infrastructure, close to natural environment has been proven to provide security to teachers, make them feel valuable, greatly improve their work performance and better influence the 1 Georgios Tsekouropoulos International Hellenic University, geotsek@bua.teithe.gr 2 Paraskevi Kalouli, Master of Education, Kindergarten Teacher of Primary Education of the Prefecture of Halkidiki eyhka1@yahoo.gr 3 Zacharoula S. Andreopoulou Aristotle University of Thessaloniki randreop@for.auth.gr