Wildwoods & LA STEM Collective to join national initiative to improve children’s health and wellbeing through regular access to the outdoors

LOS ANGELES (04 August 2022) Children from Los Angeles will soon have better access to outdoor recreation and learning opportunities. Connecting children to nature is proven to improve children’s health and wellbeing and enhance academic achievement. Joining an initiative that involves more than 40 cities nationwide, Los Angeles will develop policies, programs, and infrastructure to connect more children to nature more equitably.

The Los Angeles STEM Collective is one of five state and regional organizations nationwide that will receive technical assistance and grant funding through Cities Connecting Children to Nature (CCCN), a joint initiative of the National League of Cities and the Children & Nature Network, to support local communities to increase equitable access to nature. Through this new program,  CCCN will tap into the potential of state/regional groups to work closely with city governments to leverage funding, advance policies and share knowledge to bring nature’s benefits to more children, particularly children of color and those from low-income communities.

Research shows that spending time in nature is critical for children’s healthy development. And while time outdoors benefits all children, access to nature has the greatest positive impact on marginalized youth and those in poverty. This is why the effort will prioritize communities where children lack access to parks and greenspace and will engage organizations that represent communities underrepresented in the outdoors. During the last two years, the COVID-19 pandemic highlighted the importance of access to safe, outdoor greenspaces within walking distance of resident’s homes. Nature has become more critical than ever.

“Our goal is to help children and families connect to nearby nature – nature found in our own backyards, local landscaping, neighborhoods, and communities, and change the perception that nature is something far away and largely inaccessible for many,” says Candice Dickens-Russell, President and CEO of Friends of the LA River. Dickens-Russell serves as of the Chair of the Advisory Council for Cities Connecting Children to Nature Los Angeles.

The Los Angeles STEM Collective will evaluate existing regional assets, resources, best practices and leadership capacity in order to formulate a county-wide strategy to increase equitable access to nature. The 26-month engagement includes technical assistance from CCCN national experts, as well as grant funding, to support the region in engaging municipal leaders to implement nature connection strategies.

“Bringing the Cities Connecting Children to Nature initiative to Los Angeles is a dream come true for Wildwoods and an exciting way to spotlight the LA STEM Collective,” said Dwain Wilson, Executive Director of Wildwoods, a nonprofit orgaization that serves as the backbone agency for the Collective.

“We see this as an opportunity to pull together all of the nature-based, outdoor, and environmental organizations under one ‘big green tent’ where we can work together with the City and County around one simple goal: getting more kids outdoors.”

“And this big green tent is also a place where we can reach across sectors to bring together groups that focus on specific elements that contribute to people’s ability to connect with nature, from transportation and parks to health care providers and teachers.”

“Plus, here we have a very inclusive concept of nature, not just the traditional idea of a forest or a park. From the bottom of the ocean to the outer reaches of space, it’s all nature,” said Wilson, “including the built environment.”

The initiative kicked off in Los Angeles with a partnership with CicLAVia at their July 10, 2022 event in South LA. There, the LA STEM Collective set up a STEM Station at Martin Luther King Jr. Park along the CicLAvia route with hands-on activities for children and families. Volunteers with the Collective surveyed community members on their thoughts and feelings about nature in their neighborhoods, as well as barriers to engaging more deeply with nature in their everyday lives. The next STEM Station will be at Barnsdall Art Park at the August 21 CicLAvia event, Meet the Hollywoods.

In choosing The Los Angeles STEM Collective to be part of the initiative, CCCN will test the potential of using the power of community based partners to support city leaders in the region to prioritize and implement ways to get children outside and in green spaces regularly and more often. 

“CCCN is excited to collaborate with the LA STEM Collective, because it gives us an opportunity to explore the intersection of STEM and nature connections within education,” said Monica Lopez Magee, Senior Vice President of Cities and Community Engagement with the Children & Nature Network.

Across the country, the LA STEM Collective is joined by the following organizations who also see promise in collaborating with city leaders in their region to create equitable access to nature: Lower Columbia Nature Network, Regional Plan Association, Texas Children in Nature Network, UTAH Office of Outdoor Recreation, and Western Reserve Land Conservancy. These awardees bring together three to five cities in the region to collaborate on equitable nature connections. Cities in the region join a growing network of CCCN cities across the nation connecting children to nature in green schoolyards, early childhood settings, libraries, and natural play areas in parks. 

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About Cities Connecting Children to Nature (CCCN). Longstanding systems of inequity have influenced the design and distribution of green spaces. Cities Connecting Children to Nature, a joint initiative of  the National League of Cities and the Children & Nature Network, with funding from The JPB Foundation, supports municipal leaders and their community partners in shifting planning, policies and programs to connect children to the benefits of nature more often and more equitably.

About the National League of Cities Institute for Youth, Education & Families (YEF Institute).  The YEF Institute at the National League of Cities is the go-to place for city leaders seeking to improve outcomes for children and families. With expertise in early childhood success, education & expanded learning, promoting a culture of health, youth and young adult connections, and economic opportunity and financial empowerment, the YEF Institute reaches cities of all sizes and brings together local leaders to develop strategies via technical assistance projects, peer learning networks, leadership academies, and Mayors’ Institutes. Learn more at nlc.org/iyef.

About the Children & Nature Network (C&NN). The Children & Nature Network (C&NN) believes that nature makes children healthier, happier and smarter. C&NN is a US-based non-profit organization leading a global movement to increase equitable access to nature so that children—and natural places—can thrive. C&NN achieves its mission by investing in leaders and communities through sharing evidence-based resources, scaling innovative solutions, and driving policy change. Learn more at childrenandnature.org.

About the LA STEM Collective. The LA STEM Collective is a growing network of more than 40 museums, parks, aquariums, zoos, and nonprofit STEM education organizations that came together during the pandemic to provide remote learning opportunities for Los Angeles students, both in school and afterschool. Hosted by Wildwoods, a major goal of the newly formalized network is to optimize program delivery to the hundreds of thousands of children and youth in Los Angeles, with a focus on opening access to traditionally marginalized communities. Learn more at lastemcollective.org.

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Additional Contacts:

Candice Dickens-Russell

Friends of the LA River, President & CEO

CCCN Advisory Council Chair 

candice@folar.org

562-805-8605

Ben Dickow

Columbia Memorial Space Center, President & CEO

LA STEM Collective Chair

bend@lastemcollective.org

310-614-6048

Children & Nature Network (C&NN)

Monica Lopez-Magee, Senior Vice President, Cities and Community Engagement

monica@childrenandnature.org

512-658-9622

National League of Cities (NLC)

Josh Falk, CCCN Program Manager

falk@nlc.org