A Multi-Faceted Approach to Improving Early Childhood Outdoor Learning Environments

Early Childhood Health Outdoors (ECHO): A Multi-Faceted Approach to Improving Early Childhood Outdoor Learning Environments will explore strategies to support healthy child development by enhancing quality outdoor spaces. In partnership with caregivers, communities, and policy makers, ECHO transforms early childhood settings and systems to ensure that every young child has opportunities to thrive in healthy outdoor environments every day. Participants will learn how ECHO combines our expertise in landscape architecture and early childhood education to provide customized design solutions and professional development opportunities to support caregivers in engaging young children in the benefits and wonder of time spent outdoors. The presentation will include a discussion of how healthy early childhood environments support healthy child development, how designing for best practice creates high quality outdoor spaces, and how professional development and resource creation support activation and sustainability. Together, the presenters and attendees will discuss how equitable opportunities to experience outdoor play and learning in a quality setting can be a catalyst for sustainable progress in early childhood systems and construct ideas to adopt best practices of the initiative in their own programs or communities.