Article Link: http://exchangepress.com/article/lessons-learned-from-licensing-outdoor-preschools-in-washington-state/5025354/
Time spent playing and learning outdoors has long been a hallmark of early learning programs. Research shows that time outdoors helps boost children’s development in a variety of ways, from building cognitive skills to promoting social and emotional development. But schools whose students spend most—or even all—of their time outdoors face a significant hurdle: navigating a licensing system that is designed for buildings, not forests. As a result, many all-outdoor programs operate for limited hours, with few children, or otherwise find ways to bring outdoor learning to children without being a licensed preschool program.
In fall 2019, Washington became the first state in the country to take on the challenge of licensing outdoor preschools. That move has implications not just for programs that want to operate outdoors, but also for programs that want to incorporate more nature-based and outdoor learning in their programs. The move also has important implications for the accessibility of outdoor education for young children. We know that children today do not all have equal access to nature: more affluent children have more access to nature and all of its benefits. Licensing outdoor programs can increase the number of available slots in early education programs and bring vital public ...