October 1st, 2014 - September 30th, 2016 | PROJECT
Brookfield Zoo will develop a model for formal and informal early childhood educators in the Chicago metropolitan area to promote children and family learning (nature play, exploration, and scientific inquiry) within urban environments. In collaboration with the Forest Preserve District of Cook County and the Mary Crane and El Valor Head Start centers in Chicago, Brookfield Zoo will train 80 early childhood educators in its established nature play curriculum; facilitate networking opportunities between participants and organizations; and host a two-day symposium for 150 early childhood educators at the end of the project. This partnership has built-in capacity for expansion within Chicago and throughout the region, and can serve as a replicable model for zoos, nature preserves, and Head Start programs throughout the country to increase opportunities children have to play, explore, and learn in nature as a basis for developing lifelong environmental stewardship.
Project Website(s)
(no project website provided)
Project Products
Building nature play partnerships for urban children and families (Final Evaluation Report)
Team Members
David Becker, Principal Investigator, Chicago Zoological SocietyFunders
Funding Source: IMLS
Funding Program: Museums for America
Award Number: MA-10-14-0434-14
Funding Amount: $142,395
Tags
Access and Inclusion: Urban
Audience: Educators | Teachers | Families | Museum | ISE Professionals | Pre-K Children (0-5)
Discipline: Education and learning science | General STEM | Nature of science
Resource Type: Project Descriptions
Environment Type: Aquarium and Zoo Programs | Conferences | Informal | Formal Connections | Pre-K | Early Childhood Programs | Professional Development | Conferences | Networks | Public Programs | Resource Centers and Networks