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39 Resources
As community hubs, libraries are the ideal partners to provide children with regular access to nature. This infographic provides a helpful visual of how libraries can help connect children to nature. Use this to help build understanding of Nature-Smart Libraries.
The Youth Outdoor Policy Partnership is a collaboration of leading national organizations working across sectors to ensure that all children have access to high-quality outdoor experiences and environmental education. Every year, we publish an Annual Trend Report that shares innovative policies to encourage legislators, advocates, communities and youth to replicate, rethink and collaborate to build equitable youth outdoor opportunities. Together, we'll explore the latest state-level policy updates from 2024, winning coalition-building strategies, and exciting advocacy strategies for 2025 with a panel of youth outdoor policy leaders.
Watch the October 4, 2024, recording of the National League of Cities and Children & Nature Network in-depth look at the new report “How Green Schoolyards Create Economic Value.” The conversation, moderated by NLC’s Dr. Robert Blaine, primarily featured report author Rob Grunewald, with additional insights and perspective from Jordan Twardy from the City of Dearborn and Priya Cook from C&NN.
This slide deck on the economic benefits of green schoolyards can be used to support your own case-making efforts. Kindly credit them to Rob Grunewald in your presentations.
Equity maps depict how nature appears in a city relative to key demographic, economic, and social data. Cities use equity maps to prioritize programming, funding and resources to areas most in need. This resource guide provides step-by-step process for creating equity maps.
Towns and cities have an opportunity to reprioritize resources to foster children’s connection to nature while meeting sustainability and resilience goals. Cities Connecting Children to Nature (CCCN), a joint initiative of National League of Cities and the Children & Nature Network, teamed with the Regional Plan Association (RPA) to demonstrate potential synergy in policies and practices in order to bridge these complementary field.
Research studies included in this annotated bibliography support the understanding that connecting children with nature promotes their mental health and well-being and that this can be especially helpful for children who need to cope with stressful adverse conditions and the emotional responses that their life situations evoke.
This infographic depicts the many benefits of nature during the foundational years of early childhood, ages 0 – 5.
This resource document supports cities in how to make the case to their city or district leaders to use funding to support green schoolyards. It is a communications and messaging focused toolkit with links to templates, press releases and case study examples.
“Worm. Rabbit. Fox.” A ball of string is tossed around. “Tree. Squirrel. Owl.” On and on it goes, as 5th graders name animals or plants in a habitat and toss the string. The ball of string keeps traveling until every child is linked in an entangled web. Years ago when I was an outdoor educator, I led this activity weekly. I would announce that the fox had a good hunting day, which was unfortunate for the rabbit.
I’m sometimes asked if our work with children should be about teaching them to savor, or save, the natural world. The question seems to suggest that we need to choose one or the other.
The city of Austin, Texas publicly declared its belief that all children — regardless of race or income level — deserve access to nature’s benefits when the city council passed the Austin Children’s Outdoor Bill of Rights. And, thanks to the leadership in Austin’s Parks and Recreation Department and strong partnerships across the city, the community is taking steps to bring this commitment to life by making regular nature access a reality for young children in Austin.
The Cities Connecting Children to Nature (CCCN) initiative supports cities as they work to change and improve citywide systems so that all children have opportunities to play, learn and grow with nature in their daily lives. Many cities are searching for ways to bring nature’s benefits to all.
Key strategies and policy tools to advance racial inclusion and equitable growth in cities.
Advocacy and planning resources for improving walkability can increase community access to green schoolyards.
Lessons learned, templates, and agreements for joint-use of school grounds in your community.
Mayor Rosalynn Bliss from Grand Rapids, MI gave a welcome address where she shares her personal story of how nature impacted her and her path towards incorporating equitable access to nature into her city priorities.
Watch this short video about the national CCCN initiative and three of the 18 innovative cities working towards a vision where every child in every city has regular access to nature.
The City of Houston has a vision for a more equitable city – one where all it’s residents have equal access to the city’s resources.
In this video, learn how being part of the CCCN initiative has helped the City of Rochester plan, execute and sustain city efforts to more equitably connect children to nature.
Since 2016, San Francisco has built a coalition of over 30 organizations and city departments all working together to more equitably connect all children to the many benefits of nature. Their story is one of collaborations, partnerships and a shared vision of equity.
Watch Mayor Sylvester Turner of Houston, TX address a CCCN Houston stakeholders meeting in 2019. About 75 stakeholders from across sectors came together to discuss a common vision and path to connecting kids to nature in Houston.
Wintermission Leadville is led locally by the City of Leadville, Get Outdoors Leadville!, and Lake County Recreation Department, with key support from many local partner organizations and community members.
This research digest outlines new research that provides a rationale for focusing on children’s equitable access to nature.
Tips, tools and resources to help you grow green schoolyards in your community.
This thorough guide helps make the case that green infrastructure supports human health.
This webinar presents research and strategies for increasing equitable access to nature, including C&NN’s Cities Connecting Children to Nature, Natural Leaders and Green Schoolyards initiatives.
Insights from the Cities Connecting Children to Nature initiative guiding city leaders on strategies for equitable access to nature for children.
Promising practices for water management that promotes equity for communities most impacted by economic stress caused by climate change.
A look at how health equity can a local lever for green schoolyard program development.
This guide is intended to encourage partnerships between park agencies and stormwater agencies aimed at promoting the use of green infrastructure on park lands.
Data to help state decision makers incentivize and promote shared used agreements in schools to grow healthier kids and communities.
An interactive tool and index that ranks America’s 100 largest cities and their park systems.
Case studies of green schoolyards as public places with the potential to improve public health for individuals and the community as a whole.
Infographic illustrating the research on the wide range of health benefits of children’s nature connection.
Infographic illustrating the research on academic benefits of children’s nature connection.
This fact sheet introduces shared use as a strategy for reducing health disparities by creating equitable opportunities for recreation in parks and schoolyards.
In this report, TreePeople focuses on a LA Unified School District Water Partnership project, examining collaborative options that could allow for increased stormwater capture projects on LAUSD campuses.
A call to action from leaders in the field to place the nature-health connection at the center of research, design, and decision-making.
6 Resources
The Youth Outdoor Policy Partnership is a collaboration of leading national organizations working across sectors to ensure that all children have access to high-quality outdoor experiences and environmental education. Every year, we publish an Annual Trend Report that shares innovative policies to encourage legislators, advocates, communities and youth to replicate, rethink and collaborate to build equitable youth outdoor opportunities. Together, we'll explore the latest state-level policy updates from 2024, winning coalition-building strategies, and exciting advocacy strategies for 2025 with a panel of youth outdoor policy leaders.
Watch the October 4, 2024, recording of the National League of Cities and Children & Nature Network in-depth look at the new report “How Green Schoolyards Create Economic Value.” The conversation, moderated by NLC’s Dr. Robert Blaine, primarily featured report author Rob Grunewald, with additional insights and perspective from Jordan Twardy from the City of Dearborn and Priya Cook from C&NN.
This slide deck on the economic benefits of green schoolyards can be used to support your own case-making efforts. Kindly credit them to Rob Grunewald in your presentations.
Cities Connecting Children to Nature (CCCN), through conversations with agency partners, created this online resource that outlines a set of “best fit” federal programs, from major federal agencies, that cities can leverage for their children-to-nature activities via direct application or through partnerships.
The Cities Connecting Children to Nature (CCCN) initiative increased its focus on systems-level change and adopted a systems change framework. This brief discussion paper describes examples of structural change observed from 2015 to 2020 with CCCN cities. The paper was used to lead internal discussions among CCCN cities at a gathering in 2020.
Insights from the Cities Connecting Children to Nature initiative guiding city leaders on strategies for equitable access to nature for children.
22 Resources
“Worm. Rabbit. Fox.” A ball of string is tossed around. “Tree. Squirrel. Owl.” On and on it goes, as 5th graders name animals or plants in a habitat and toss the string. The ball of string keeps traveling until every child is linked in an entangled web. Years ago when I was an outdoor educator, I led this activity weekly. I would announce that the fox had a good hunting day, which was unfortunate for the rabbit.
Many cities are searching for ways to bring nature’s benefits to all children, but longstanding conditions, such as policies, power dynamics and perceptions, can make change difficult. Achieving real and lasting change requires a community-based approach to dismantling systems of inequity, or in other words, a systems change approach.
Equity serves as a central goal of the Cities Connecting Children to Nature initiative (CCCN). In this new equity resource, CCCN provides a snapshot into the current consensus within CCCN on definitions and principles for advancing equity, as well as a few illustrative examples of city progress and additional ideas.
The Cities Connecting Children to Nature (CCCN) initiative increased its focus on systems-level change and adopted a systems change framework. This brief discussion paper describes examples of structural change observed from 2015 to 2020 with CCCN cities. The paper was used to lead internal discussions among CCCN cities at a gathering in 2020.
Key strategies and policy tools to advance racial inclusion and equitable growth in cities.
This toolkit shares lessons learned from California schools with successful joint use agreements, offering guidelines and templates for other communities seeking to increase access to school recreational facilities.
This agreement from Austin, TX is an example of how a school district and a city park department can specifies maintenance responsibilities for shared properties.
Lessons learned, templates, and agreements for joint-use of school grounds in your community.
Minneapolis Parks & Recreation Board uses equity-driven metrics for selecting projects in neighborhood parks.
A guide with real-life examples, best practices and practical steps to help agencies implement a wellness policy and create sustainable site changes.
Omaha Public School’s guide for reducing storm water on school grounds, including lesson plans for teachers and maintenance resources for administrators
A data collection tool to track how students travel to and from school and understand parents’ perceptions of safety.
Downloadable and customize these sample resources for joint use agreements between schools and city government.
New York City’s Department of Environmental Protection leads multiple agency partners in the design, construction and maintenance of sustainable green infrastructure on schoolyards and other spaces.
An example of how Arkansas tobacco excise tax helps fund shared use programs that benefit health and education.
This action-oriented guide supports local, state, and federal officials in planning for health at all levels to address determinants of chronic disease.
Insights from the Cities Connecting Children to Nature initiative guiding city leaders on strategies for equitable access to nature for children.
This fact sheet introduces shared use as a strategy for reducing health disparities by creating equitable opportunities for recreation in parks and schoolyards.
An Arkansas state tax on tobacco funds partnerships that promote physical activity in schools.
A roadmap for the City and its residents to make Chicago a healthier, more vibrant place to live and work, including green schoolyards as a strategy.
Advocacy tips for local policy change from the Wisconsin Association of School Boards.
14 Resources
The early phase of Nature Everywhere Communities involves a planning phase to “map the landscape” of the local systems both literally and figuratively. This planning process helps teams analyze assets, gaps, opportunities, and barriers. This resources provides a high-level view of what to consider when doing landscape scans for stakeholders, programs and experiences, and policies and funding in a community.
This resource aims to guide you to meaningfully engage community members to inform a Nature Everywhere vision and action plan.
“Worm. Rabbit. Fox.” A ball of string is tossed around. “Tree. Squirrel. Owl.” On and on it goes, as 5th graders name animals or plants in a habitat and toss the string. The ball of string keeps traveling until every child is linked in an entangled web. Years ago when I was an outdoor educator, I led this activity weekly. I would announce that the fox had a good hunting day, which was unfortunate for the rabbit.
In addition to its proximity to Niagara Falls, Buffalo, New York, is best known for its epic snow storms. These storms drop as much as eight feet of snow at a time, sometimes requiring the National Guard to help the city dig out its streets.
Many cities are searching for ways to bring nature’s benefits to all children, but longstanding conditions, such as policies, power dynamics and perceptions, can make change difficult. Achieving real and lasting change requires a community-based approach to dismantling systems of inequity, or in other words, a systems change approach.
The Cities Connecting Children to Nature (CCCN) initiative increased its focus on systems-level change and adopted a systems change framework. This brief discussion paper describes examples of structural change observed from 2015 to 2020 with CCCN cities. The paper was used to lead internal discussions among CCCN cities at a gathering in 2020.
Wintermission Leadville is led locally by the City of Leadville, Get Outdoors Leadville!, and Lake County Recreation Department, with key support from many local partner organizations and community members.
Insights from the Cities Connecting Children to Nature initiative guiding city leaders on strategies for equitable access to nature for children.
Planning tools to map city systems for asset/gap assessments and to identify strategies for equitable nature access.
Minneapolis Parks & Recreation Board uses equity-driven metrics to evaluate regional parks and trails, and ensure that investments are equitably targeted and support the MPRB’s Comprehensive Plan.
This guidebook outlines benefits, planning process and types of green storm water infrastructure on school grounds.
An Arkansas state tax on tobacco funds partnerships that promote physical activity in schools.
This report describes Y-PLAN methodology, which builds the capacity of young people to contribute their own data and insights to the planning and policymaking process.
Prevent vandalism on your schoolyard with Crime Prevention Through Environmental Design (CPTED), used by architects, city planners, landscape and interior designers, and law enforcement to create a safer community.
14 Resources
Austin Public Library (APL) is transforming library spaces into hubs for nature exploration through its Nature-Smart Library initiative. APL is embedding environmental education, outdoor learning, and green space improvements into its library services to address nature access disparities. Read this case study to learn more about Austin’s approach.
Not all communities in San Francisco have equal access to nature. To bridge this gap, San Francisco Children & Nature launched its Nature-Smart Library strategy to “bring the outside in” to libraries through programming and physical space transformation and to encourage patrons to get outside. Read the case study to learn more about San Francisco’s approach.
In Pharr, Texas, a small, predominantly Hispanic/Latino community, extreme heat, finances, and accessibility challenges limit outdoor play for children. With 35% of the population under 18, the local library saw an opportunity to engage families by focusing on children’s programming and offering nature connections. Read this case study to learn more about Parr’s approach.
Engaging local stakeholders helps align new children and nature strategies with previous efforts and community goals. It can also help maximize local resources and build connections with new stakeholders who may value children’s well-being but may not currently use nature connections. This resource supports communities in bringing local stakeholders together to support local efforts.
This resource aims to support a visioning is a process through which community partners develop a vision statement that sets the course for the local children and nature initiative. Through public engagement, the community defines its purpose, core values, and ambitions for the future.
The Green Schoolyards District Design Guidelines is a product of over a year-long collaboration with a group of cross-sector leaders working towards systemic change in the way we think about and use the outdoor spaces surrounding a school. This publication is intended to support and inspire school district staff in creating their own school design guidelines – tailored to meet the needs of your region and community and endorsed by your district. Our goal is that your school district creates procedures that meet the needs of your students and staff, align with your district priorities, and benefit members of all ages in your community. The content of this publication was written with input from experts in the field, including academics, professional landscape designers, and district-level staff from across the country.
This resource outlines how to develop partnerships between city government and a group of community organizations in order to maximize resources and achieve shared goals to advance children and nature connections.
This resource helps engage cities within a region or state to work collaboratively at the state level to expand access to high-quality green spaces and increase policies and programs that support children and nature connections.
Many cities are searching for ways to bring nature’s benefits to all children, but longstanding conditions, such as policies, power dynamics and perceptions, can make change difficult. Achieving real and lasting change requires a community-based approach to dismantling systems of inequity, or in other words, a systems change approach.
The Cities Connecting Children to Nature (CCCN) initiative increased its focus on systems-level change and adopted a systems change framework. This brief discussion paper describes examples of structural change observed from 2015 to 2020 with CCCN cities. The paper was used to lead internal discussions among CCCN cities at a gathering in 2020.
This webinar discusses the essential role of green schoolyards in a post-COVID area. With play structures being closed due to COVID-19, the public access of green schoolyards is even more critical.
Since 2016, San Francisco has built a coalition of over 30 organizations and city departments all working together to more equitably connect all children to the many benefits of nature. Their story is one of collaborations, partnerships and a shared vision of equity.
Watch Mayor Sylvester Turner of Houston, TX address a CCCN Houston stakeholders meeting in 2019. About 75 stakeholders from across sectors came together to discuss a common vision and path to connecting kids to nature in Houston.
Insights from the Cities Connecting Children to Nature initiative guiding city leaders on strategies for equitable access to nature for children.
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