Report on Nature-Based Early Childhood Education in Utah and its Alignment with Sustainable Development Goals

Introduction: A Response to Modern Developmental Challenges

A significant trend indicates that today’s children spend less time outdoors than any previous generation, with recent data showing nearly 40 percent of preschool-aged children receive less than one hour of outdoor play per weekday. In response, an educational movement in Utah is utilizing outdoor environments as classrooms, directly addressing global objectives for health, education, and environmental sustainability.

Advancing SDG 4 (Quality Education) Through Innovative Pedagogical Models

Nature-based preschools in Utah, such as Wonderbloom and Child’s Element, are implementing educational models that align with the core targets of Sustainable Development Goal 4: Quality Education. These programs provide a holistic and developmentally appropriate foundation for lifelong learning.

Key Educational Strategies and Outcomes:

1. Play-Based, Nature-Focused Curriculum: Learning is centered on guided exploration and play. Conventional classroom materials are replaced with natural items, such as using acorns instead of plastic dice, to foster creativity and environmental connection.
2. Emergent and Individualized Learning: With low student-to-teacher ratios, educators employ an emergent curriculum that adapts to the evolving curiosities of the students, ensuring a customized and engaging educational experience for each child.
3. Holistic Skill Development: While meeting state benchmarks for kindergarten readiness, the curriculum’s primary focus is on developing crucial social, emotional, and physical skills. Activities like collaborative building with natural materials enhance motor skills, teamwork, and problem-solving.
4. Fostering Foundational Life Skills: The programs are designed to build confidence, curiosity, and emotional awareness, which are considered essential foundations for future relationships, continued schooling, and workforce participation.

Contribution to SDG 3 (Good Health and Well-being)

The emphasis on outdoor activity inherent in these programs makes a direct and measurable contribution to Sustainable Development Goal 3: Good Health and Well-being. This model promotes both the physical and mental health of young children.

Reported Health and Well-being Benefits:

• Enhanced Physical Health: Children engage in at least three hours of physical activity daily, aligning with national health guidelines and promoting robust physical development.
• Improved Cognitive Function: Research demonstrates that this level of physical activity improves critical cognitive functions in young children, including memory, attention, processing speed, and overall academic performance.
• Mental and Emotional Regulation: Parents have reported significant improvements in their children’s well-being, observing that they are calmer, sleep better, and have more regulated emotions and appetites.
• Increased Confidence and Independence: Immersion in nature-based, unstructured play has been shown to make children more adventurous, confident, and independent.

Fostering Stewardship for SDGs 11, 13, and 15

A central objective of nature-based education is to cultivate a deep and lasting connection to the natural world, thereby fostering a generation of environmentally responsible citizens. This approach supports SDG 11 (Sustainable Cities and Communities), SDG 13 (Climate Action), and SDG 15 (Life on Land).

Methods for Instilling Environmental Responsibility:

1. Connection to Local Environments (SDG 11): By utilizing public lands, local trails, and open green spaces as classrooms, these programs teach children the value of sustainable community resources.
2. Education for Sustainable Development (SDG 15): The curriculum includes hands-on learning about the natural world and life sciences. Students learn to identify local plants, tend gardens, and understand their connection to the earth, instilling a duty to protect life on land.
3. Foundations for Climate Action (SDG 13): By instilling an awareness of and appreciation for nature at a young age, these programs lay the groundwork for future environmental advocacy and a greater inclination to support climate action.

Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) Addressed

1. SDG 3: Good Health and Well-being

   • The article emphasizes the health benefits of outdoor learning for young children. It cites the Physical Activity Guidelines for Americans, which recommend at least three hours of daily physical activity to improve cognitive functions. Furthermore, it highlights parental reports of children becoming calmer, sleeping better, and having more regulated appetites and emotions, which directly relates to promoting physical and mental well-being from an early age.

2. SDG 4: Quality Education

   • The core theme of the article is a new model of early childhood education. It discusses how nature-based preschools like Wonderbloom and Child’s Element provide developmentally appropriate, play-based learning. The article explicitly mentions that these programs aim to meet kindergarten readiness benchmarks while also fostering curiosity, confidence, and social-emotional skills, which are all components of a quality education.

3. SDG 11: Sustainable Cities and Communities

   • The article describes how Utah communities are utilizing the outdoors as a “new classroom.” Programs like Child’s Element operate entirely in “open spaces and public lands,” while Wonderbloom features an “expansive outdoor learning space.” This directly connects to the goal of providing access to green and public spaces for community members, particularly children.

Specific SDG Targets Identified

1. Target 3.4: Promote mental health and well-being

   • The article connects outdoor play with improved mental and emotional health. Sara Wild Jones, founder of Child’s Element, states that free play helps children “develop emotional and social awareness,” providing a foundation for future relationships. Parents reported that their children “have become calmer… and have more regulated… emotions,” which aligns with the promotion of well-being.

2. Target 4.2: Ensure access to quality early childhood development and pre-primary education

   • The article is centered on this target. It profiles two preschools, Wonderbloom and Child’s Element, that provide innovative pre-primary education. The text notes that despite parental concerns, research supports that this method is “more developmentally beneficial” and that the schools aim to “meet Utah’s kindergarten readiness benchmarks,” ensuring children are prepared for primary education.

3. Target 4.7: Ensure all learners acquire knowledge and skills for sustainable development

   • The nature-based programs are designed to foster a connection to the environment. The National Institute for Early Education Research is cited, finding that children in these programs “develop an appreciation for and understanding of the natural world.” Sarah Stone states the programs “instill in [the students] that we are all connected to this earth, and we need to take care of it,” which is a fundamental principle of education for sustainable development.

4. Target 11.7: Provide universal access to safe, inclusive and accessible, green and public spaces

   • The article demonstrates the practical application of this target by showing how educational programs are using green spaces. Child’s Element “meets in open spaces and public lands near the communities it serves.” Wonderbloom created an “expansive outdoor learning space” with a garden and other natural features. These examples show the transformation of outdoor areas into accessible learning environments for children.

Indicators for Measuring Progress

1. Indicators for Target 3.4

   • The article implies several indicators. One is the amount of time spent in physical activity, citing the guideline of “at least three hours a day.” Another is qualitative feedback from parents, who reported that their children “sleep better, and have more regulated appetites and emotions.” The development of “emotional and social awareness” is also mentioned as a key outcome.

2. Indicators for Target 4.2

   • Progress can be measured by enrollment and demand, as indicated by Wonderbloom’s “waitlist of 64 children” and Child’s Element serving “around 150 students a year.” Academic and developmental progress is another indicator, supported by claims that outdoor activity improves “memory, executive function, processing speed, attention and academic performance” and helps children meet “kindergarten readiness benchmarks.”

3. Indicators for Target 4.7

   • An indicator is the change in children’s attitudes and knowledge about nature. The article states that these programs help children “develop an appreciation for and understanding of the natural world” and learn “how to care for nature.” The curriculum itself, which includes learning about local plants and trees, serves as an indicator of education for sustainability.

4. Indicators for Target 11.7

   • The primary indicator is the functional use of green spaces for education. The article shows this through Child’s Element’s model of using “open spaces and public lands” as its classroom and Wonderbloom’s creation of a large “outdoor learning space.” The existence and utilization of these spaces for children’s development measures progress toward this target.

SDGs, Targets, and Indicators Analysis

Source: utahbusiness.com