Dr. Kathryn J. Andrews, assistant professor of childhood education, and Victoria Cleary, childhood education student, presented a paper at the annual Natural Start Alliance conference, an affiliate of the North American Association for Environmental Education. 

 

The conference, held in August, focused on nature-based learning in early childhood education and was held virtually due to the pandemic. Andrews and Cleary presented on the Every Child Outdoors Initiative, which focuses on connecting formal and informal learning through nature-based learning to offset academic decline during the COVID=19 pandemic.

 

The initiative encourages parent-child interaction and places an emphasis on helping parents realize how essential they are to their child’s academic success.