Telling the story of change: A look at Nature Everywhere Communities in 2024

Seventy-eight communities, representing over 52 million people across the U.S. $3.05 million invested. $11.1 million leveraged. $765,000 in seed grants in 2024 alone. 

These numbers represent the commitment of Nature Everywhere Communities to providing all children, regardless of race, socioeconomic status or zip code, access to the many proven benefits of nature and outdoor play. Building off the former Cities Connecting Children to Nature (CCCN) initiative, the Nature Everywhere Communities initiative is a national partnership between the Children & Nature Network, KABOOM! and the National League of Cities. The initiative works with local teams, technical leads and organizations to increase nature access in participating communities — more than 50 CCCN communities and 28 new Nature Everywhere Communities in 2024.

The numbers are impressive. But alone, they do not tell the full story of the progress and impact achieved in these communities. We begin to see the bigger picture when we hear reports of staff from different agencies and organizations meeting to align on goals and priorities; when a city council votes to pass a Children’s Outdoor Bill of Rights; when department heads allocate funding to hire local residents as nature program staff; or when a group of youth lead in organizing a nature program. These are just a few examples of the actions at the local level that, in aggregate, lead to change.

Unfortunately, longstanding conditions often make this change difficult. This is why the Nature Everywhere Communities initiative adopts a systems change approach. In other words, the initiative helps Nature Everywhere Communities transform community-wide systems that have typically resulted in unequal access to nature by addressing root conditions such as policies, resource allocations, community practices, power dynamics and relationships, as well as attitudes and beliefs. 

In 2024, Nature Everywhere Communities chipped away at changing these conditions, making progress towards long-term systemic change. Check out these examples that, when paired with the numbers, help tell the story of the impact happening at the local level.

Nevada Nature Everywhere Community team, Outdoor Education Advisory Working Group.

The State of Nevada is changing policy. The Nevada Nature Everywhere Community team, called the Outdoor Education Advisory Working Group, identifies opportunities to integrate outdoor recreation into education through community engagement and assessments, including public surveys and community meetings. They report their findings to the Nevada State Legislature to inspire statewide policy changes and have recently released their first legislative report. The report recommends several programs and strategies to get kids outdoors, including a blend of green schoolyards and recognition programs for “green schools.”

Philadelphia Nature Everywhere Community team, Prescribe Outside.

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, is changing how resources flow. The Philadelphia Nature Everywhere Community team, called Prescribe Outside, is a coalition of local nonprofits, Philadelphia Parks & Recreation and the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia. They aim to “help our children and families become healthy and happy by spending time outside in nature.” The team recently received funding from the Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources to fund Prescribe Outside for two years, supporting physicians and families by providing tools to access greenspaces for health and wellness.

Grand Rapids Nature Everywhere Community Team.

Grand Rapids, Michigan, is changing practices. After joining CCCN in 2014, the City of Grand Rapids created five green schoolyards. In 2024, they rejoined the Nature Everywhere Communities initiative to ensure residents and schools utilize these greenspaces. A newly envisioned coordinator position will act as a liaison between the City and school district, while also facilitating professional development and training to help teachers better integrate greenspaces into their lessons. This will be an important step in changing how local schools view and utilize outdoor space for learning and childhood development.

Lowell, Massachusetts, Nature Everywhere Community team.

Lowell, Massachusetts, is changing power dynamics. The Lowell Nature Everywhere Community team is a cross-sector partnership focused on increasing the quantity and quality of the time youth spend outside. They expanded their focus from a single project to a system-wide approach by aligning the team’s vision with “Lowell Forward,” the city’s master plan, which includes a long-term plan for open greenspace. By incorporating youth leadership into their planning processes for the first time, the team is shifting traditional power dynamics to ensure that youth have a voice in the creation and use of outdoor greenspaces.

To achieve transformational change in systems, we must also shift public mindsets and perceptions of nature, as these can unintentionally hinder communities from ensuring all children have access to greenspaces. Efforts must expand preexisting ideas of the value and benefit of nature, and address any misconceptions of who, how and where individuals can connect with nature. One way that Nature Everywhere Communities can shift the perception of nature is by leveraging media coverage. In 2024, sixteen local media outlets and four national outlets covered the important work of Nature Everywhere Community teams, helping residents better understand the benefits of nature and the team’s progress in bringing these benefits to their communities.

Local leaders can use their positions of power to further shift public perception and communicate the importance of nature for a healthy community. A leader’s guiding vision for integrating nature access with childhood development and community health goals can inspire local stakeholders and build momentum. In 2024, several local city leaders wrote in support of their cities being part of the Nature Everywhere Communities initiatives:  

In Dearborn, the notion of transforming seas of asphalt into fields of green and creating neighborhood respites aligns with what we need more of for our community. And making these spaces was not just an up-front cost, but a long-term investment in the physical, mental and environmental health and well-being of our community.
Jordan Twardy, Director of Economic Development, City of Dearborn, Michigan

As Mayor, it is my job to remove obstacles, seize opportunities and propel good ideas. To me, that’s exactly what the early childhood nature connection projects in Batesville represent. It is an alignment of so many city goals: from improving our parks infrastructure to responding to what the community wants to improve early childhood motor and social skills and so much more.
Mayor Rick Elumbaugh, Batesville, Arkansas

The mission of Madison’s Parks Department is to enhance the quality of life for everyone in Madison, Wisconsin. Quality of life is an overlapping array of factors, which include making connections, increasing physical activity, sustaining our environment, enhancing learning and much more. We cannot achieve that mission without collaboration across the city and beyond.
Eric Knepp, Parks Superintendent at the City of Madison, Wisconsin

To encourage more communities to engage in systems change across the U.S., the Nature Everywhere Communities initiative launched an Action Challenge in May of 2024. The Action Challenge supports, celebrates and recognizes a community’s progress in increasing nature connection for all children, especially children of color and other groups historically excluded from nature-based experiences. By registering for the Action Challenge, local teams receive access to a national peer learning network, toolkits, case studies, and promotional materials for building awareness and gaining media recognition as a Nature Everywhere Action Challenge Community. The Action Challenge is another way of supporting local communities in addressing the conditions that limit their ability to provide all children with access to nature’s benefits. 

Certainly, there is more work to be done. For many Nature Everywhere Communities, efforts to shift public awareness and create systemic change are just starting to gain momentum, while others are seeing years of partnerships come to fruition. Regardless of where Nature Everywhere Communities are in their progress, 2024 was a year that demonstrated the continued dedication of leaders across the country to ensuring access to nature everywhere children live, learn and play.

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