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Historically, most environmental education programming has been designed for kindergarten and subsequent years, missing the critical developmental windows available to educators in children younger than five. But as our understanding of the importance of the early childhood years has broadened, so, too, have environmental education programs for young children.
Early childhood environmental education serves children from birth to age eight—infants, toddlers, preschoolers, and early elementary students. Environmental education for young children shares the same long-term goals as environmental education for older children, youth, and adults, but there are some important differences in how programs for young children are delivered, and who delivers them.
Chapter Author: Christy Merrick, Director, Natural Start Alliance
Featured Case Study: Washington State Outdoor Preschool Pilot
In 2017, the state of Washington embarked on the nation’s first pilot project to license outdoor preschools in order to bring outdoor learning opportunities to more children. The state’s Department of Children, Youth, and Families (DCYF) developed specialized licensing standards for outdoor preschools and monitored a small group of pilot programs from 2018 to 2020. The results were overwhelmingly positive, and in 2021 the state made the program permanent. States across the country are now looking to Washington and its licensing standards for outdoor preschools as a model for increasing equity in access to outdoor, nature-based learning for all young children.
The chapter is part of the GEEP case study e-book, Environmental Education in Action: Learning from Case Studies Around the World, which introduces case studies as a valuable learning tool and dives into key topics in environmental education.