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Download the Draft
In October 2025, the Natural Start Alliance released Recommendations for Licensing Outdoor, Nature-Based Early Learning and Child Care Programs in draft form to gather additional input from policymakers, practitioners, and other experts. The recommendations are designed to help communities, including licensing agencies, expand children’s access to safe and high-quality outdoor and nature-based learning through policy.
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Share Your Thoughts
Comments on the Draft Recommendations were collected via listening sessions and an online survey that was available until March 20, 2026. The online survey is now closed as comments are reviewed and incorporated. If you have thoughts you would like to share with us related to the Draft Recommendations, you can email Natural Start at any time. All input will be considered and will help inform the project and any future revisions.
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View the Webinar
In October 2025, recommendations author Dr. Aliza Yair and Natural Start Policy Advisor Kit Harrington provided an overview of the Recommendations. Watch the recording and view related resources, including the presentation slides.
About the Recommendations
The Recommendations draw from the expertise and collective review of representatives of the outdoor, nature-based (ONB) early learning professional community across the Natural Start Alliance and allied organizations. The draft also incorporates guidelines from relevant national regulatory agencies, and findings from recent research into children’s health and education.
The Recommendations provide a holistic and detailed collection of ONB program licensing policy and practice options to inform state regulations for child safety and healthy development in outdoor settings, but they do not describe all considerations for running a high-quality program. The following topics are covered in the draft Recommendations:
Basics of ONB Curriculum
Hazards and Risks
Benefit-Risk Assessment
Types of ONB Programming
ONB Licensing Pathways
Location Assessment and Program Planning
- Site Selection
- Benefit-Risk Assessment in Site Selection
- Shelters and Other Structures
- Shelters in Emergency Responses
- Public Lands Use
- Sharing Public Spaces
- Storage and Carrying Supplies
Health/Hygiene
- Dangerous Animals and Toxic Plants
- Drinking Water
- Food
- Handwashing
- Toileting
- Sleep and Rest
- Medication and First Aid
Outdoor Safety
- Weather Considerations and Program Adjustments
- Clothing
- Temperatures - General
- Heat
- Cold
- High Winds
- Air Quality
- Severe Storms
- Lightning
- Flooding
- Tornados
- Earthquakes
- Evacuation
- Shelter in Place/Lockdown
- Communications to Prevent or Respond to Hazards
- Missing Children Protocols
Outdoor and Nature-Based Curriculum and Activities
- Benefit-Risk Assessment in Activity Planning
- Program Materials
- Inclusion and Disability
- Honoring Indigenous Sovereignty
- Setting Boundaries to the Play Space
- Climbing Natural Features
- Campfires
- Proximity to Bodies of Water and Water Activities
- Foraging
- Hand Tools
- Play at Higher Speeds
Staff Training and Qualifications
- Workforce Development for ONB and Outdoor Safety
- Pre-Service Training Additions
- In-Service Training Additions
- Supervision Outdoors and During Risky Play
- Staffing Ratios and Risk-Based Adjustments
Family Engagement
- Communicating with Families About Health and Safety
- Communicating Your Location
- Ensuring Children are Dressed for the Weather
- Child Records