Health & Nature Fellow Charmaine Godley works to make Georgia schools places of nature connection

As a child growing up on Chicago’s South Side, Charmaine Godley didn’t spend time in neighborhood parks. Her family took public transit to the zoo, museums and other destinations, but neighborhood parks were few and far between – and they weren’t thought of as safe places to connect with the natural world.

Today, as the Children & Nature Network’s first Health & Nature Fellow, she reflects on the lack of public greenspace during her childhood. “We now know how important spending time outdoors is for children – and for everyone,” says Charmaine. “I’m interested in the two-to three-generation benefits of getting kids outdoors and engaged in healthy lifestyles. Making nature connection part of young children’s lives can have a ‘trickle up’ effect for parents and grandparents. Making parks and green spaces easily available can be an intervention that addresses public health challenges that disproportionately impact many people in the Southern U.S., like obesity and diabetes. And it can be a game changer for education.”

Charmaine Godley, Atlanta Health & Nature Fellow

Charmaine’s fellowship is focused on improving the health and well-being of children in the Atlanta, Georgia region, but her inaugural role is also helping the Children & Nature Network think about its impact across the U.S. “The idea behind a city-specific Health & Nature Fellow is to tap into the power of local knowledge and relationships,” says Sarah Milligan-Toffler, president and CEO of the Children & Nature Network. “We believe that pairing our national technical assistance model with local leadership will help us make sure that diverse voices from deep within the community are heard. As our inaugural fellow, Charmaine is helping us test and refine this concept, which we hope to roll out in other cities.”

A lifelong educator, Charmaine works with the Children & Nature Network’s green schoolyards team to advance school district-wide efforts to bring nature-based learning and play to children in the Atlanta region. She has also supported advocacy efforts with the Georgia State Senate Outdoor Learning Study Committee.

Charmaine stepped into her fellowship role with an impressive background in early childhood education. She started as a Kindergarten teacher, where she saw firsthand the value of getting kids outdoors and moving. She became an administrator of a pre-K child care center, director of a hospital-based child care program, and director of the child development lab at a private university in Alabama. She found her way to Atlanta, where she obtained her graduate degree in educational leadership at Georgia State University – and launched, directed and later served as an adjunct instructor for the early education program at Georgia’s Southern Crescent Technical College. For the past 15 years, Charmaine was Director of Quality Improvement for Early Learning for the United Way of Greater Atlanta.

“Charmaine’s impact on early childhood education in Georgia is considerable,” says Sarah Milligan-Toffler. “We are very fortunate to have her on our team.”

Always the educator, Charmaine thinks about her role as Health & Nature Fellow according to “the three Rs” – which in this case means roles, relevance and relationships.

“Roles are place-based,” she says. “Having someone on the ground who knows exactly who needs to be at the table and what roles people and organizations can play is key.” 

“Relevance is about community engagement,” Charmaine continues. “It’s about bringing community stakeholders together to do needs assessments and to help design solutions that are right for the community, that are culturally relevant and sustainable.”

“Relationships are the most important,” she concludes. “I am a connector; I think about people’s experiences first, before strategies. Health & Nature Fellows should be able to bring cross-sector relationships to the effort – foundations, government, nonprofits and businesses – and help create regular opportunities to strengthen those connections.”

Much of Charmaine’s commitment to this work goes back to her 2006 tour of Reggio Emilia education centers in Italy. “Young children learn from real life experience and natural consequences,” she says. “In a Reggio classroom, nature serves as an educator and everyone honors what is real – natural light, natural materials, natural sounds. Noticing and exploring the natural world is encouraged, not punished. All children should have access to this type of child-centered, nature-based education.”

The Children & Nature Network’s Atlanta Health & Nature Fellowship is made possible with support from The Arthur M. Blank Family Foundation.

About The Arthur M. Blank Family Foundation

Over the past 25 years, The Arthur M. Blank Family Foundation has granted more than $800 million and is now committed to significantly accelerating the impact of its philanthropy over the next 10+ years.

The Blank Family Foundation Board has identified three new collective areas of giving: Youth Development, Democracy and Environment. The Foundation’s work will continue to prioritize Georgia (with a focus on Atlanta) and Montana, while also considering the potential for greater national impact and influence. The Foundation will continue to oversee a large portfolio of Founder-led initiatives and guide the Associate-led giving committees operating across the Blank Family of Businesses. 

Mr. Blank, chairman of the foundation, co-founded The Home Depot, the world’s largest home improvement retailer, in 1978 and retired from the company as co-chairman in 2001.

For more information, please visit www.blankfoundation.org.

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