Educating Children Outdoors (ECO) is a nature immersion program developed by the North Branch Nature Center and designed for students in preschool up to 6th grade. Founded in 2009, the program has impacted more than a dozen public schools, over 100 educators, and many more students. In our May Member Spotlight, Amy Butler shares how ECO has evolved over the last 10 years.
Dawn Jenkins founded Eyes of the World Nature Immersion in January 2019. Among her program offerings is a roaming forest preschool that meets in various state parks and land trusts in York County, Maine. Dawn was able to secure a unique insurance policy that may interest other forest preschool programs.
Articles in this issue cover school readiness, teacher roles in an outdoor classroom, attitudes and practices regarding tree climbing, children's environmental identity development, and more.
The Cincinnati Nature Center Preschool is a nature-based program licensed through the state of Ohio. Learn more about their journey to becoming a five-star program and how they made the decision to expand to K-2nd grade this fall.
